Inclusive Education

Based on the idea of equality and respect of human rights, inclusive education is part of the system of values that every person must abide by, and differences are considered a asset and source of learning. The aim of the Inclusive Education project is for such a value system to be included in the regular school system, which is why it is directed primarily at supporting primary and secondary schools for them to include and provide quality education to all children. The realization of this goal requires raising awareness of the importance of inclusive education, development of staff and institutional capacities, and developing a system of appropriate stimuli for inclusive education.

The Law on the Fundamentals of the Education System creates the capability and duty of schools to accept children that require an inclusive approach. School authorities have been notified that schools that accept such children may have fewer pupils per class, but that they are required to carry out individual syllabuses with them. This means that an inclusive team (teachers, psychologist/pedagogues and parent) should be created at every school, which would assess the level of needs and abilities of the child, and accordingly create a curriculum and syllabus. As part of the Inclusive Education project, the Ministry of Education will provide full support to schools that require an inclusive approach, including teacher training for preparing individual syllabuses (standards and outcomes of escalation, work method development, style of evaluation, etc.)

Nine schools, which were selected based on previous positive experiences and plans for improving inclusive education in their environment, were included in the pilot project Development of a Functional Model for Implementation of Inclusive Education. The plan was for the pilot schools to take part in consultative workshops that would be headed by a team of local experts, in collaboration with foreign consultants, and for them to develop projects for improving inclusive practice, including training, preparations of individual curriculums, provide equipment, aids and materials necessary for the realization of the individual syllabuses (funds from the DILS project), monitoring the individual syllabuses, a wider implementation of good practices. The expected outcome of the project is a developed collection of functional models of inclusive education which would be expanded to the entire education system.

The implementation of the project started in 2009.

Relates to:
primary education
secondary education

Project implementer:
Ministry of Education

Contact person:
Danijela Vuković
danijela.vukovic@mp.gov.rs