Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, Professor Đuro Macut, DSc, met today with the deans of faculties in the natural-mathematical sciences group, the deans of the Institute for the Improvement of Education and the Institute for Education Quality and Evaluation.
The meeting addressed teaching and learning plans and programmes, achievement standards and student workload, as well as ways to increase interest among prospective students in pursuing teaching careers.
Macut emphasised the need to establish a team that will analyse student achievement standards and learning outcomes in order to improve the educational process.
He noted that it is necessary to modernise plans and programmes and to involve, in addition to the National Education Council, other relevant institutions and both institutes in this process, with the aim of reducing curriculum volume and creating space for enhancing the teaching of natural sciences.
At the meeting held in the building of the institutes, which was also attended by the Minister of Education, Prof. Dr Dejan Vuk Stanković, it was stated that university curricula must also be modernised to encourage future students to choose teaching professions.
The Prime Minister underlined that it is essential to improve the teaching process in schools and provide solutions to the shortage of teaching staff for certain subjects in primary and secondary education.
The deans of faculties in the natural-mathematical sciences group and the faculties of pedagogical sciences presented proposals on how to harmonise curriculum volume in schools and make the teaching profession more appealing to prospective students.
Prior to the meeting, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Education visited the Institute for Education Quality and Evaluation and the Institute for the Improvement of Education, accompanied by the directors of these institutions, Prof. Dr Boris Stajkovski and Dr Zlatko Grušanović.
The Institute for Education Quality and Evaluation prepares tests for the final exam, conducts evaluation of education and upbringing, and provides recommendations for establishing and ensuring the quality assurance system in education.
The Institute for the Improvement of Education performs developmental, advisory, research and other professional tasks in preschool, primary and secondary education.
