REPUBLIC OF SERBIA Negotiating Group for the Chapter 26- Education and culture

Bilateral screening : chapter 26

PRESENTATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

Brussels, April 4, 2014. 1

Access to education

2

Relevant acquis I Directive 77/486/EEC of 25 July 1977 on the education of

the children of migrant workers

II 61983CJ0293 - Judgment of the Court of 13 February 1985. Françoise Gravier v City of Liège.

3

OUTLINE

I EQUAL CONDITIONS IN ACCESSING EDUCATON

• Principles and access to pre-university education

• Use of language and alphabet in the ethnic minority education

• Inclusion of the students with disabilities or difficulties in mental or physical development

• Measures and recommendations for the improvement of the practice

II NON - DISCRIMINATION • Access for foreign citizens to the Higher education system

• Application of the Law

• Measures for harmonization with EU legislative system

4

I EQUAL CONDITIONS IN ACCESSING EDUCATON Legal framework (1) Based on the Law on the foundations of the system of education (Official Gazette of RS, No. 72/2009, 52/2011 and 55/2013) - Main principles and tools:

• Introduction and affirmation of the inclusive approach;

• Equal opportunities for all children;

• Anti-discrimination , anti segregation, tolerance;

• Interest of the child;

• Enrolment of all children, individual aprouch and IEP, adjusted standards, inclusive team in schools, pedagogical assistants, parents’ involvement, cooperation with the local community

5

I Legal framework- Accessibility of Education (2)

• Primary education- mandatory and free (Law on Primary Education, the аrt. 4 and аrt. 5 );

• High school education – free;

• Higher education- financed from the budget of Republic of Serbia or through self - financing of student;

• Primary school has an obligation to enroll a child based on the request of a parent/guardian;

• High and higher education: the conditions for enrollment of students are envisaged by law (Law on Higher education, аrt.8)

6

I Legal framework / Non-discrimination (3)

• The system of education must ensure, for all children, students and adults equal rights in accessing education without discrimination based on gender, social, cultural, ethnic, religious differences, place of living, financial or health conditions, disabilities or difficulties in mental or physical development;

• Migrants who live in collective centers have equal rights to education as others citizens;

• Foreign citizens children and stateless persons enroll under the same conditions as Serbian citizens, regardless of the Serbian language knowledge level, they have the right to enroll in primary school;

• While resided in the Republic of Serbia, children of foreign citizens have right to attend classes of the mother tongue language, free of charge under the condition of reciprocity; or charged to parents in premises determined by local government authority

7

I Measures being taken–migrants (1)

Inter-sector Strategy for reintegration of returnees brings following recommendations in the field of education:

• To implement programs that will help the children to learn Serbian before and during continuation of their schooling;

• To implement programs that will make transition easier during the period of learning Serbian in the first year of their return;

• Enhanced alternative education for older returnees;

• To develop and implement programs that will ensure for children to actively use the foreign language they know.

•

8

Using alphabet and languages

• According to the article 12 of the Law on the foundations of the system of education, article 5. Law on secondary education: Educational work is in Serbian language, and for the members of national minorities educational work is realized on their mother tongue using alphabet of national minority, or bilingually, if it is determined by at least 15 students in the first grade of primary school;

• If educational work is realized:

• On the language and using script of national minority, school is obligated to organize Serbian language classes;

• On the Serbian language, for the students belonging to national minority school organizes classes of the elective mother tongue language with elements of national culture;

• On the foreign language, i.e. Bilingual education, school is obliged to organize teaching in Serbian language as well.

9

I Measures being taken – 26 National Minorities (1)

• Тhere are 3 models of education provided:

• Teaching in native language (currently in Albanian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Romanian, Ruthenian, Slovak and Croatian);

• Teaching in the Serbian language, while classes in elective mother tongue with elements of national culture are being provided as well;

• Bilingual education - the mother and Serbian language (currently in Albanian and Serbian, Hungarian and Serbian, Romanian, Serbian, Slovak and Serbian and Croatian and Serbian);

• 32,165 students were embraced with education in minority language during academic 2013/2014 in some of these modalities;

• 174 – by-laws

10

I Measures being taken– 26 National Minorities (2)

• Textbooks on the national minorities language - according to its circulation are considered as low circulation textbooks

• The state coo-finances printing of mentioned textbooks to the publishers, aiming that price of low circulation textbooks do not exceeds the price of High circulation textbooks;

• By the Conclusion of the Government of the Republic of Serbia during last 5 years Government implements the project that provides free of charge textbooks and workbooks for all students;

• Individuals belonging to the national minorities have received textbook packages free of charge for I-IV class of elementary school, and all the other pupils have received only new workbooks and the old schoolbooks from the previous generation.

11

I Measures being taken – 26 National Minorities (3)

12

Minority

language

Number of approved

textbooks for preschool

education

Number of approved

textbooks for primary

education

Number of approved textbooks

for secondary education

Albanian 3 79 /

Bosnian 7 20 7

Bulgarian 50 32

Bunjevac speech 2 2

Hungarian 6 229 53

Ruthenian 166 26

Romanian 184 38

Slovakian 207 51

Ukrainian 18 /

Croatian 108 23

Czech 10 /

Total 16 1073 232

1321

IMPROVING STRATEGIC AND REGULATORY FRAMEWORK • Тhe Strategy for the Improvement of the Roma status and national action plan for

education in 2012-2014 - Government adopted laws fostering Roma inclusion:

• Law on Primary Education

• Law on Secondary Education and the

• Adult Education Law

• By-law on precise criteria for recognition of discrimination by employee, pupil or third person in institutions – prepared

• 170 pedagogue assistants are engaged

• Affirmative actions for enrollment to universities

• Establishment of Council for improvement of Roma status and implementation of Decade for Roma inclusion (superviseion of Action plan implementation, enabling exchange of good practices in Roma inclusion area)

13

I Inclusion / Legal framework • Based on the Law on the foundations of the system of education:

• Article 10 – a pupil with disabilities acquires primary education in an elementary school with all the other pupils. When it’s in best pupil’s interest he/she can enroll in a special school in accordance with a Law.

• A pupils with disabilities have the right for individual educational plan in accordance with a Law.

• A pupil with disabilities has the right for free transport regardless of distance between his residence and school address, art.69.

• A new nondiscrimination enrollment and curriculum policy : By-law about detailed instructions for determination of the rights for individual educational plan, it’s implementation and evaluation and By-Law on additional educational, medical and social support for children and pupils

14

I Measures have been taken –inclusion (1) • Project DILS (Delivery of Improved Local Services)- „Provision of advanced

services at the local level“- finished;

• Products: grants for local government 56 for Roma inclusion, 281 schools – Support to inclusive education, 9 partner schools – developing of functional model of IE, 25 schools – testing of training packages, 37 schools – violence prevention;

• Grants are delivered to schools which are in an inclusion process: 9 pilot schools for testing the functional model of inclusive education, 25 pilot institutions for testing the grant schemes and trainings, 281 schools are supported for improvement of school capacities for successful inclusion and enabling quality education for the children from deprived and sensitive groups

• Procurement and delivery of 21 vehicles for transportation of the children with disabilities

15

I Measures being taken –inclusion (1) • Improved competencies for 17 000 staff in institutions and for 900

relevant participants working with children with disabilities, by training

• Increased sensibility of all the school stakeholders and local community for accepting and supporting children/pupils with disabilities,

• Improving cooperation with parents of the pupils with disabilities, relevant institutions and organizations at the local level,

• National Network for support of inclusive education is formed (80 experts and practitioners)

• 4538 Individual educational plan 1 and 2500 individual educational plan 2 – Individual educational plans for pupils are delivered (Statistical office Republic of Serbia, 2013.)

• Ministry and schools are participants in a project Regional support for inclusive education which Is funded by the Council of Europe and European Commission and it will be continued in the future.

16

I Recommendations (1)

• Harmonizing and complementing legislation in 3 sectors to support education inclusion (ex. Personal assistants);

• Strengthening local authorities to effectively support education inclusion;

• To develop generic competences of the teachers by creating and implementing new trainings and other types of professional specializations, training principals for the school leaders;

• Engagment of personal assistance with support of EU funds, creation of criteria and standards for additional support deliverance in the institutions for education the pupils with disabilities which should have a role of resource center;

• National and local authorities to investigate the early school leaving causes and install systematical support measures on the level of local government as a part of social protection and system of inside school support.

17

II Non - discrimination (1)

• Higher Education available to all;

• Prohibits discrimination on the basis of: gender, race, marital status, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or other origin, a national community, property status, disability or other similar grounds, positions or circumstances;

• Foreign nationals are eligible for admission to degree programs in the Public Institutions of Higher Education in Serbia under the same conditions as Serbian citizens who pay tuition.

18

II Measures being taken (1) • Student is eligible to apply for accommodation and food in the dormitory,

Student scholarship, scholarships for the best students, participation in transport costs in urban and intercity traffic, professional development and health care.

• Accommodation: 17.184 places available in student centers (866 for individuals belonging to vulnerable social groups);

Food: available for 44.733 students (3 meals per day)+4.418 students (1 meal per day)

• Republic of Serbia has signed CEEPUS III Agreement in 2010 for period of next seven years, and took obligation to award 150 months of mobility for teachers and students in school year.

19

II Measures have been taken- Students(2)

Loans Scholarships

Regular 10.563 8.113

No parental care 130 332

Single parent 788 204

Roma 36 85

Handicapped 41 61

Refugees 42 66

TOTAL 11.600 8.500

20

II Measures being taken (3)

• Republic of Serbia finances scholarship programmes for foreign students through different projects:

a) A project „World in Serbia“, 288 scholarships awarded for the students from 53 states members of the Non Aligned movement;

b) A project “Serbia for the Serbs from the region” , 78 scholarships are awarded to foreign nationals of Serbian origin under the same conditions as for the Serbian citizens;

• Recognition of the foreign diplomas and certificates - the corresponding higher education institution is responsible for this procedure by Law unless the bilateral agreement is signed and ratificated

• The Apostille is not necessary for : Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Greece, Croatia, Iraq, Cyprus, Hungaria, Macedonia, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Ukraine, Sweden, Montenegro, France;

21

II Recommendations

• Harmonization with European System of Higher Education for the improvement of academic mobility for the stuff and students;

• A proposal of the changes of the High Education System Law is prepared for the improvement of nostrification and acceptance of foreign diplomas is in an adoption procedure;

• Action plans for the implementation of the Strategy for development of Education until the 2020 are prepared and after the adoption will be applied in practice.

22

REPUBLIC OF SERBIA Negotiating Group for the Chapter 26-

Education and culture

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

23