Implemented Projects
First phase of the project "Raising Accountability of Universities in Serbia"

First phase of the project "Raising Accountability of Universities in Serbia" has been conducted in 2012. The goal of the project is raising the quality of higher education by preventing of corruption on faculties and universities in Serbia. This objective should be reached with enabling student representatives to efficiently and constructively practice their legal rights and duties and monitoring of faculties.

In this phase, CDE had enabled student representatives for research on corruption in higher education. This has been conducted through:

- Panel discussion "Anti-corruption Activism and Students' Participation in Higher Education", organized 29th and 30th March 2012

- Trainigs for student representatives in four university centers of Serbia

- Research on perception of corruption between students in four university centers of Serbia

- Conference "The End of Universities", where the results of the research have been presented.

Anti-corruption Student Network in South East Europe

From 2006 the Belgrade Open School is a member of Anti-Corruption Student Network in South East Europe, an international project, which is comprised, in addition to BOS’ Center for Development of Education, out of student organizations from Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia and Moldova. The project deals with the phenomenon of corruption in higher education, by exchanging of methodologies, tools for monitoring and combating corruption, as well as organising workshops and trainings for students.

Members of the Network are informing and raising awareness on corruption in higher education and advocating for institutional mechanisms to prevent corruption by organizing round tables, conferences and trainings to empower students in the fields of active participation in the reform process, decision-making in institutions of higher education, protection and practice of student rights, advocacy and lobbying. 

Anti-corruption Student Network in South East Europe members:

Within this project, CDE has conducted trainings on fight against corruption and reform of higher education, enabled students for active role in the process of reform, trained students on the subjects of protection of their rights, team work, public speaking, resaarch in the field of corruption, transparency, organized round tables, conferences and similar.

Publications "First Aid Kit for Higher Education - A Know How Guide for Student Research” (2011), and “U Jugoistočnoj Evropi ništa novo” (2013, English version is in the process of publishing) are the most important outputs of this project.

"Education Reform in Serbia: National Council for Vocational Education"
The project "Education Reform in Serbia: National Council for Vocational Education" did public advocacy for establishing of National Council for Vocational Education. 
The project refered to the Strategy for development of vocational education, which was enforced by the Government of the Republic of Serbia in December 2006, where it says that:
"In order for VET to adress the needs of economy, labour market and local government, it is necessary to have...further institutional development of VET on national level (establishment of the nationa authority/Council for Vocational Education)".
In accordance with this strategy, the project of Belgrade Open School had goal to:

1. Inform the public of Serbia with the cause - effect relationship between current condition of education system and increasing unemployment in Serbia, being one of the most problematic area of our society, recognize the current situation on labour market in Serbia, gap between systems of education and employment, and also the consequences of this disbalance;
2. Gather, connect and inform all the relevant stakeholders in the field of vocational education about the importance of reform of education and their role in that processM
3. Represent the function of relevant elements of civil society - social partners in the process of reform of education;
4. Publicly present creation of specific elements of education reform (curriculum, methodology, competences, results, life-long education), which should be analyzed by different structures of civil society - stakeholders in the system of vocational education.

The project "Education Reform in Serbia: National Council for Vocational Education" gathered representatives of relevant institutions, which formed Group for public advocacy. The coordinators of the Group for public advocacy were professor Refik Šećibović, Phd and Mrs Iskra Maksimović, Phd, the experts from Belgrade Open School, and the members were:
  • Mrs Radmila Katić Bukumirić 
    Ministry of economics and regional development – Assistant of Minister for employment
  • Mrs Vesna Čekić 
    Natioanl employment service – Chief of the Department for professional orientation
  • Mrs Jasmina Tanasić 
    Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities – representative of the Board for social politics
  • Mr Jugoslav Bogdanović 
    High school «Uroš Predić», Zrenjanin
  • Mrs Biljana Dimitrijević 
    The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia - Manager of the Service for vocational education
  • Mr Branislav Čanak
    United Trade Unions "Nezavisnost" ("Independence"), the president of Social - Economic Council
  • Mr Zoran Stojiljković 
    United Trade Unions "Nezavisnost" ("Independence"), Republic Council for employment
  • Mr Marijan Zović
    Union of Employers of Serbia – Secretary general
  • Mr Bojan Ristić 
    Ministry of education – Chief of the Department for vocational education

Project was conducted through public speakings across the country (round tables, local television coverage, meetings with the representatives of the Ministry of education, press conferences..)

The goal of this project was establishment of National Council for Vocational Education - permanent and active institution of social dialogue of relevant social partners in the field of VET and employment.

Since 2007 BOS did public advocacy for establishment of National Council for Vocational Education and that institution was established with the Law on the fundamentals of the education system form year 2009. The role of the Council is to design and follow the development of VET and to coordinate interests, needs and possibilities of all social partners and stakeholders. 

Projects in the cooperation with European Training Foundation

In the period 2006 -2010, CDE developed cooperation and provided its expertise to European Training Foundation – ETF for its activities in Serbia. In this period eight projects were successfully implemented in the framework of this cooperation:

1. “Transition from education to work”, where BOS prepared and traslated report which consist of analysis on transition from educational system to field of work and employment in Serbia;

2. “Providing expertise in the field of statistics”, where BOS provided expertise in the field of statistics, and especially statistical data about education, labour market and demographics in Serbia;

3. “Spreading information on policies of European Union in the field of secondary vocational training and good practice of Western Balkans and candidate countries”;

4. “Key competences for Life Long Learning in Serbia“;

5. "Need for capacity building in the field of employment/development of human resources in the pre-accesion countries: capacity for management and administration and need for capacity building in Serbia";

6. "Capacity buidling of Sector for employment (Ministry of economics and regional development) - preparation of the project proposal and IPA EU fonds";

7. "Report about role and capacities of social partners in creating an effective strategy in education/training and employment in Serbia";

8. "The role of social partners in the sector dialogue in education and training" (peer learning activities in Serbia as a part of bigger, regional project).

In the project "Key competences for Life Long Learning in Serbia" BOS was in charge for complex project activities on development of key comptences in the system of vocational education in Serbia. The research has been conducted in order to analyze how are two competences "learn to learn" and "entrepreneurship" included  in official educatioanl system. Research was baseline for policy conclusions and recommendations, which could be included in further development activities. Working on these two competences can be considered also as a platform for introducing the concept of key competences for life long learning into Serbian educational system in general.

  • BOS has conducted researches, created recommendations for reform of the system and worked on building of capacities for successfull involvement of Serbia into European processes in the field of vocational education, work and employment. 

In the project “Spreading information on policies of European Union in the field of secondary vocational training and good practice of Western Balkans and candidate countries”,  the main objective was to help the process of modernisation of VET through better understanding of the reform and participation in the debate about that reform by key actors in those countries. The politics of EU which are part of Copenhagen and Maastricht contracts and Education and Training 2010 work programme have been analyzed. BOS was in charge for:

  • training for members of Copenhagen comity and promoters of Copenhagen process (three one-day trainings);
  • the preparation of the study “Comparative analysis of experiences of EU in the field of qualifications (institutions, procedures, legislation)“.

 

Regional magazine "Education and Development"

Publication of this magazine was supported by HESP (International Higher Education Support Program). Magazine was dedicated to education reform at all levels: it monitored the implementation of the Bologna and Copenhagen processes and training of personnel for the European and global labor market. Magazine supported the implementation of modern pedagogical methods and technologies – interactive teaching method, the open school model and promoted the concept of lifelong learning. All activities were in line with European quality development programme in educational practices of Southeast Europe, and special attention was directed to the reform in the former Yugoslavia.

The objective of this regional project, which includes Belgrade, Banja Luka and Travnik, was to bring together experts and subjects of education reform that will establish cooperation, support and technical assistance for the development of education in the Western Balkans. Magazine "Education and Development" was the quarterly published. In the period 2005 – 2008 eight editions of the magazine "Education and Development" were published. Publications are available on Serbian language only (("Obrazovanje i razvoj 01", "Obrazovanje i razvoj 02", "Obrazovanje i razvoj 03", "Obrazovanje i razvoj 04", "Obrazovanje i razvoj 05", "Obrazovanje i razvoj 06" , "Obrazovanje i razvoj 07", "Obrazovanje i razvoj 08").

"Vocational Secondary Education and Training in Serbia: Preliminary study and survey" and "Current Thinking and Proposals for the Reform of Professional Education and Training"

In July - August 2001 CDE conducted research studies "Vocational Secondary Education and Training in Serbia: Preliminary study and survey" and "Current Thinking and Proposals for the Reform of Professional Education and Training".

Alternative Education, NGOs and Democratization of Serbia

In June 2001 CDE organized round table "Alternative Education, NGOs and Democratization of Serbia".
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