Nonformal education in Serbia

A step towards the law

One of the major problems in Serbia is a lack of adequate laws and regulations, and nonformal education is not an exception. The educational system is outdated and the reforms that have been made have not brought the desired results. The education people in Serbia acquire formally, in schools, consist of passive knowledge, most of it being inapplicable


By DANIJELA MILOVANOVIĆ
from Belgrade, SERBIA


While filling in a CV form, one is inevitably faced with headings which refer to one's skills, courses and seminars they attended or special certificates they were awarded, e.g. at a language school. Not only do these headings recognise the mere presence of nonformal education, they also show us its importance. Nonformal and informal education have recently become equally important as formal education. Having said that, what are the new standards we must meet that fail to be met by graduating from a school (either secondary or university level)? The message the society has been sending clearly states that our worth is the result of how much we invest in our own development.

Formal education tends to be set and rigid, while the development of technology and successive new job openings raises need for differently trained and prepared workforce. That is where nonformal education steps in, offering skill trainings through wide-ranging activities, such as seminars, courses, lectures, workshops, conferences, various trainings and volunteer programmes.

Apart from formal and nonformal education, there is also informal education, which is essentially 'the school of life', comprised of things we learn based on our personal experience, adopted society values and selflearning. Together, they combine to make education perfect.

Lawless

One of the major problems in Serbia is a lack of adequate laws and regulations, and nonformal education is not an exception. The educational system is outdated and the reforms that have been made have not brought the desired results. The education people in Serbia acquire formally, in schools, consist of passive knowledge, most of it being inapplicable. There is, however an NGO Initiative for an educational reform that would bring European standards to assessing education. It is undertaken by Belgrade Open School, Youth Voices Group, Centre for Education Policy (CEP), and others. Adopting a new law would allow educational and civil status development, which would consequently contribute to economical growth and alleviation of poverty. State has often been inefficient in solving the problem, even when there is a strategy for it.

- Strategy of Adult Education Development was adopted in 2006, but the Action Plan has only recently been made, due to the elections, many staff and organizational changes in the Ministry of Education. Therefore, we cannot talk about whether or not it has been implemented successfully - Martina Vukasović, the Director of CEP said for WAVE magazine.

Irish Experience

In December 2008, Youth Voices Group organized a round table on nonformal education with the support of World Bank and local Ministries.

- We ought to move away from learning for its own sake to learning for the job market; to make sure that the skills we acquire are the skills the world today needs - Simon Gray, Director of the World Bank Office in Serbia said at the meeting.

Serbia hopes to pass a law designed on the 'Irish experience' from 1999. Ireland regulated nonformal education which brought on positive results and promoted lifelong learning in nonformal education providing organizations. It is now clear who gives certificates and what exactly for. It is a must in Serbian adoption of the regulation as well, and so is the necessity of communicating the importance of nonformal education to the young. The most significant role will be the one of Ministry of Education, with its Strategy for Vocational and Adult Education. There is an additional problem of including the physically challenged, the mentally challenged and minorities. A good example of inclusion has been set by Medical School in Vranje, which is the first school able to accept students with physical disabilities.

Unlocking the potential

The value of nonformal education does not lie only in its function of providing employment, but in its promotion of civil activism among the young. Centre for Nonformal Education and Lifelong Learning (CNL) has been promoting these values since 2006. Dejan Aćanski, Executive Director of the CNL stated for WAVE magazine: 'For the final acceptance and recognition of nonformal education as a crucial element for youth activism in society, we must work on two levels - on 'the ground floor' through direct cooperation with schools and other institutions and on 'the upper floor' , lobbying for laws and regulations on the issues. It is also important that all relevant organizations and institutions are included in the preparation of the law, because it is vital that nonformal education is defined in broader terms, and not just as professional development and job seeking tactics training.' The first conference on Adult Education and Lifelong Learning was organized this year by Ministry of Education, supported by DVV International and European Training Foundation (ETF).

"Our major problem in adult education nowadays has many subproblems: negative public attitude, restrictive financial support, lack of laws and legislations, there being no systematic evaluation and the unsolved status issue of adult education teachers" - explained Dr Žarko Obradović, Education Minister, at the conference. He emphasised the necessity of enacting the law as soon as possible, and that we must learn from other countries that have faces transition, as well as our neighbouring countries.

"Education system must be such that it enables every individual to unlock their potential, to learn, to be able to use their knowledge in everyday life and to continue professional development throughout their career. The goal is to educate an individual who can efficiently adapt to our fast-changing world", he added.

Necessary strategy

One of Serbia's main educational problems is the fact that 50% of the population over the age of 15 has finished only elementary school or has dropped out before finishing one. The main aim of an education strategy is to establish a social background and basic mechanisms for adult education, as well as creating a system that would support it. A wide-range of institiutions and NGOs must be involved in the process. The Strategy would enable avaibility of education to all categories of adults through legislation and standardization. To solve the problem, Government needs the support from employers, unions and state economy departments.


(Published: 10.04.2009.)