Investments for better-quality education are Montenegro's national priority
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 24 January as International Education Day, in celebration of the role of education in peace and development.
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PODGORICA, 24 January 2023 – On the occasion of International Education Day, celebrated worldwide today, the Ministry of Education, the NGO Teachers’ Association, the NGO Parents and UNICEF are calling for the prioritization of investments in education to urgently improve the quality of and access to education for all students.
The Ministry of Education points out that Montenegro is giving education top priority. It has announced that, in the coming period, a key document – a comprehensive education reform strategy – will be developed. It will show that we are ready for bold actions to ensure a safe and healthy environment for learning and better learning outcomes. It will demonstrate that we are willing to support teachers and to improve their economic and social status, as well as to maximize the benefits of the digital revolution for public education and to invest more efficiently and fairly.
“Through partnerships with the European Investment Bank, the Council of Europe Bank, KfW bank and the US Embassy in Montenegro, the Ministry of Education has already ensured funding for the construction of nine new preschools and four new primary schools, as well as for an improvement in the energy efficiency of dozens of preschool and school facilities in the coming years. An additional €11 million is provided for this purpose from the Western Balkans Investment Fund and multilateral donors, and the ministry will continue to secure the additional funds needed for education system reform in the future too".
UNICEF reminds about the key findings of the recently launched Education Sector Analysis 2015–2020, which show: that two out of every three children in Montenegro attend elementary schools with insufficient infrastructure; that there are, on average, 16 students per computer in primary and secondary schools; that only one in four teachers attend programmes for professional development; and that children growing up in poverty attend kindergarten, primary and secondary school to a much lower degree than their peers.
“Today is a call for action. Montenegro needs to urgently ensure funds for financing new school and preschool facilities and for adequately equipping all schools with new technologies. Investing more resources in continuous professional development of all teachers is a necessity if Montenegro wants to achieve better quality of education. Finally, to reduce poverty in Montenegro, high-quality education must be provided to all children from poor families, Roma and children with disabilities from the first years of life".
The NGO Teachers’ Association reminds that all problems in society originate from a lack of enlightenment and that providing quality education to every child is the key task of every society.
“International Education Day is a reminder for Montenegro to urgently invest in school facilities, as well as in teaching staff, in order to make them more competent and motivated to cope with the challenges of education in the 21st century. This is a day for appealing to Montenegro to create better working conditions and to continuously improve the status of teachers in society, as well as to promote regular participation of practitioners in the creation of educational policy. International Education Day is a reminder that the progress of society depends completely on the support to and the inclusiveness and quality of education, accessible to every child in Montenegro. Progress can only be achieved through continuous, planned investments by the country in education".
The Parents’ Association is calling upon the government to increase investments for the education system and to pay special attention not only to improving the infrastructure, but also to securing stable funding for the basic needs of students and educational institutions – heating and transport.
“Apart from not having enough space in the schools, our children are often in cold or semi-cold classrooms. They lack transport to get to school, while their teachers lack basic materials for work. We also remind of the safety issues that are being discussed every day among the public and in the media due to specific incidences of peer violence and vandalism, although the programmes of the Ministry of Education do include strengthening safety levels. However, funds for this purpose have still not been committed".
She also reminded that we have been waiting for too long for concrete education reforms related to adaptations of the teaching programmes and plans to the actual living circumstances of the 21st century and to the students’ needs.
Sofija Ivanović, a UNICEF Montenegro young reporter, called for the provision of necessary study tools for children with disabilities and for the organizing of additional education for teachers so that they can provide quality, inclusive education to every child in Montenegro.
“For me, as a person with no sight, there are three key challenges in education. First, there is a lack of educated teachers who can provide quality, inclusive teaching. Second, there is a lack of tools for assisting and teaching, such as computers with speech support and Braille notebooks, which help persons with no sight to learn more easily. Third, there is a lack of defectologists of all profiles who can teach people with no sight the different skills needed for an independent life with dignity. All of these challenges can be overcome through appropriate education of the existing teaching staff, as well as through investments in an adequate infrastructure for working with persons with disabilities".
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 24 January as International Education Day, in celebration of the role of education in peace and development.
Under the theme “Invest in People, Prioritize Education”, this year’s education day is seeing calls for a maintaining of strong political mobilization around education and for the translating of commitments and global initiatives into action that will bring about positive life changes for all children.
On this occasion, UNICEF is calling globally for urgent investment in learning for every child and warns leaders of the public and private sectors that companies and the public sector will soon face shortages of skilled labour if we do not address the learning crisis.
