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EDUCATION OF ADULTS IN SERBIA -POSSIBILITIES AND CHALLENGES1
М. Yovanovich V. Minich
Adult education is a prerequisite for meeting the needs of the government and society for competent employees who can solve the urgent problem of political and socio-economic development of the society. Under conditions of rapid development in science and technology, accumulation of a large amount of knowledge, and the need to develop new competencies, the process of adult education has a large influence upon all aspects of human life and society. Priority tasks of adult education include “providing extra opportunities for acquisition of a primary set of knowledge and skills necessary for active creative activity and painless resolution of various problems in all areas of life [Kulich, Despotovic, 2005, p. 167].
Having faced the challenges of globalization and European integration, a few decades ago Serbia tried to solve the problem of adult education and to raise the existing practice to a higher level of innovation. The government sees the way to achieve this goal in the development and updating of lifelong education and creation of a learning society. Numerous studies conducted in the last twenty years show that cooperation between the authorities and the educational institutions in addressing urgent issues of educational policy in adult education has given specific results. Involvement of adults in various forms of education and training offers great opportunities to enhance their skills and competitiveness in the labor market, thereby improving their quality of life. Formal, non-formal and informal education are major components of the adult education system in Serbia. Formal adult education is a purposeful process for changing the educational level through the implementation of primary and secondary education programs and other forms of professional training, considering the needs and abilities of the adults and the demand/offer of the labor market in accordance with the existing legislation [Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia - № 55/2013]. In Serbia, implementation of the formal education system is possible through the integration of three subsystems of education (primary, secondary, and higher), and represents an underutilized potential for general adult education and the formation of competencies demanded in modern social life and the economy. In Serbia the area of adult education covers the population aged 15 to 45. In this regard, 16 basic schools and resource centers with the duration of study lasting 4 years were founded, where adults who are eager to catch up are trained according to the principle of mastering a two-year
1 This article is the result of research within the framework of projects studying “The sustainability of identity for Serbs and ethnic minorities in the border regions of East and Southeast Serbia” (OI 179013). The State University in Nis (Serbia) Faculty of Mechanics and Technology is a main facilitator of project implementation. The project is funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia; and “Kosovo and Metohija between national identity and European integration” (III 47023), with financial support of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia.
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course during one year of study. The content of general education plans is implemented according to the reduced program. During the first four years regular classes are organized, and from the fifth to eighth grades classes have a more extensive instructional and consultative nature.
In the area of secondary adult education more and more young people appear who, due to various difficulties in their lives, have had to interrupt education at various stages of their study, and who therefore use the possibility for acquisition of vocational training as a second chance. The highest rates of coverage for secondary schools in the additional adult education system are in the following areas: computer operator, computerized accounting, computer design, study of entrepreneurship basics, foreign languages, management, and education for sustainable development (sustainability).
The problem of participation for adults in the secondary and higher additional education system is conditioned by a number of facts. The biggest obstacle is the fact that the educational institutions (faculties) do not identify the adults, and especially working adults, as their target audience; thus, the provision of equal access to higher education for this category of the population does not match the capabilities and needs of these individuals. Private educational institutions demonstrate a more flexible approach to solving this problem. Aware of its advantages and benefits, private agencies offer educational programs for working adults, and coverage by the private education system has increased several times over.
These characteristics and disadvantages of the formal education system, along with the increasing demand for adulthood education, have resulted in the actualization of non-formal adult education. Non-formal adult education is an organized process of adult instruction on the basis of educational activity outside the scope of the established formal system in order to acquire knowledge and skills aimed at personal development of adults, their work, and social activities. The Center of Professional Education for Adults of the Republic of Serbia demonstrates its commitment to development in this direction and considers the possibilities for further improvement and unification of the existing practices within the framework of non-formal adult education. In summarizing the experience of non-formal adult education in Serbia, it is possible to distinguish the following components:
1) Workers’, national, and open universities of higher and professional education that provide for the improvement of skills for specialists and their preparation to work at modern production facilities (confirmed by a certificate); 2) The National Employment Agency, which implements strategies and programs within the framework of developing the labor market, social protection of unemployed persons, prevention of unemployment, and fighting its social consequences. As a rule, an agency acts as an organizer (or, less often, a performer), and certain schools implement retraining and additional training of the adults; 3. Enterprises owned by the private sector, municipality or the government, as well as by the public institutions, legal entities or individuals. Their educational function is performed periodically and as necessary; 4) Subsidiaries of large international companies organize highly standardized training in accordance with
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the skills needed to perform the defined scope of work; 5) Cultural and entertainment centers, recreation centers and clubs that specialize in the field of culture and provide training in the field of culture and arts; 6) Private (educational) institutions and organizations organize foreign language courses, computer courses, or driving schools (educational institutions for training drivers of different categories); 7) Funds to support education and science, agencies, service centers, humanitarian organizations, educational programs and projects organize a set of activities aimed at attracting adults to the field of education, not as a source of primary or additional income; 8) Scientific and technical institutes, research and analytical centers, the activities of which are focused on development of the scientific competence of experts; 9) Profession-based and industry-based associations that specialize in protecting the interests of certain types of professionals. They organize the development and training of staff at the advanced training courses, seminars, business seminars and training sessions; 10) The Chamber of Industry and Commerce is focused on a group of businessmen from different companies and large employers representing many industries at the governmental level; 11) Trade unions organize sets of educational activities and improvement of professional skills for workers (their members), and act to protect the interests of certain professions; 12) Forms of theoretical and practical training to meet the needs of the army, police, and intelligence service, which focus on the specific needs of these groups, their further additional education, professional training and retraining; 13) University of the Third Age, whose activity is focused on the organization of various forms of education, such as the handicraft industry, artistic crafts, and production of household goods by hand. The online University of the Third Age provides high-quality and affordable distance education for adults through workshops, original courses, mini-courses, and lectures; 14) The public, charitable, and private institutions and agencies in parallel with provision of the most important types of services for the aged and elderly people organize the educational activities; 15) The Church - the system of higher theological education is focused on development of spiritual values for adults according to the principle of consistency in pedagogical influence of the Church, family, and education; 16) Private, local, regional, and global types of mass media: libraries, museums, reading rooms, theaters, cinemas, galleries, clubs, recreation centers, and many others. 17) Correctional institutions (prisons for adults, juvenile correctional prisons, prisons, medical correctional institutions, health care institutions, detention facilities) perform professional reintegration of convicted persons and preparation for life after prison, and organize the activities of specialized institutions for juveniles who need social rehabilitation; 18) Various agencies for specialized types of activities - agricultural cooperatives, various communities and centers for specialized types of medical care, special (correctional) educational institutions for students with developmental disabilities or with health disabilities. Public events are organized, such as forums, exhibitions, promotions, and presentations.
Based on the foregoing, we can make the conclusion that the adult education system in Serbia is based on the training programs and curricula designed to acquire professional competence and qualifications important to
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personal and professional development. The adult education system covers several institutions and organizational forms of formal, non-formal, and informal education, the activity of which is focused on development and improvement of the following skills of adults: linguistic and mathematical literacy, knowledge of native and foreign languages, knowledge of information and communication technologies, media literacy, professional activities, creative self-expression, social skills, communication, and cooperation.
References
1. КулиЬ, Р.и ДеспотовиЬ, М. (2005).Увод у андрагоп/ijy. - Београд: Свет кжиге.
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3. Пешикан, А. (2002).Образоваже и лудска права. Београд: Институт за психологи|у, Филозофски факултет.
4. Службени гласник РС, бр. 55/2013
б.Стратег/р разво]а образоважа одраслих у Републици Срби|и - Службени гласник РС”, бр. 55/05 и 71/05 - исправка.
б.Тим за образоваже одраслих и доживотно образоваже (2001). Стратешки правци разво]а образоважа одраслих. - Београд: Филозофски.
Translated from Russian by Znanije Central Translations Bureau
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