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EDUCATION REFORM PROGRAM - UPDATE
ON STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION IN THE PERIOD JANUARY
- JUNE 2000
Sustainable
strategy development
Since
October 1999, Open Society Institute Montenegro (OSIM) has been engaged in
activities aimed at initiating long and demanding process of education
reform in Montenegro, in which OSI Montenegro, IEP and Ministry of
Education and Science act as partners. Period
January – June 2000 has been characterized by final activities on Need
Assessment analysis, as a strategic document which, in an efficient and
precise manner, depicts the needs of the Montenegrin education system and
acts, in that sense, as a significant indicator of further activities in
the reform field. The document has been finalized in March and has been
presented to the international donor community by the representatives of
the Ministry of Education and Science, supported by the representatives of
the OSI, at the Extended Task Force Meeting of the Enhanced Graz Process,
held in Graz (in early March this year). The significance of this document
is reflected in the fact that it indicates, indirectly, priorities of the
forthcoming changes in the educational system and points out, in an
objective manner, its current needs and advantages/drawbacks. It has been
produced through common engagement of several experts who have evaluated
certain segments of the education system: infrastructure, finance and
planning (Neil Galbraith), curriculum and textbooks (Timothy Hunt)... Activities
carried out in the framework of the Education Reform Project have been
pursued by series of seminars aimed at the human capacity building at the
Ministry level and specialization of the Ministry’s staff for further
reform management, primarily through the means of their acquaintance with
the foreign education reform models. First seminar (March 22 – 25, 2000)
has presented successful education reform models of transition countries
and has been focused on the history and dilemmas of the reform processes
in Hungary, Romania, Slovenia and Estonia. Seminar gathered expert teams
from the respective countries, which have presented, in an interactive
way, advantages and disadvantages of their education systems and have put
some more light on the challenges and uncertainties of the same. It has,
with its conception, enabled active participation of the representatives
of the Ministry in identifying problems of Montenegrin education and it
has also encouraged their criticism and analysis, when it comes to
strategy and perspective of reform. The seminar has also influenced the
identification of the Institute’s role and position in this process not
only as of its creator but also as of its promoter, and has contributed to
higher quality and higher efficiency of the cooperation between the
Institute and the Ministry, as a leader of the foreseen changes. OSIM
has, in the framework of its program activities, significantly contributed
to the identification of expert who could, with their expertise and
dedication, give some input to the realization of the preliminary
preparations of the forthcoming changes, production of the strategy and
conceptualization of the reform structure. Mentioned seminar was
significant indicator in that regard and engagement of Slavko Gaber, ex
minister of education of the Republic of Slovenia, as main consultant in
the education reform has been verified as successful choice by the
Ministry as the most competent witness of the initiatives and ideas of the
OSIM. The first Gaber’s visit to the MOE (May 2-7, 2000) was
aimed at evaluation of human resources at the Ministry and defining modalities
of the reform structure. OSIM deems that this consultancy could become
part of the wider regional initiative – South East Europe Education
Cooperation Network, aimed at virtual connection of institutions and
actors in the education field at a regional level and efficient exchange
of information on their needs. Second
seminar (May 24 – 27, 2000), organized by the MOE, OSIM and
IEP, presented education reform models of the Netherlands, Finland,
Scotland and Norway, with special emphases on curriculum development and
evaluation issues. Seminar
also dealt with the Ministry’s capability to meet, with its available
staff, the expectations of a serious and overall reform. OSIM has offered
constructive assistance in that regard, noting that the Faculty of
Philosophy in Nikšić, as an institution of primary importance in
teacher training process, is not capable and inspired enough to answer to
the demands imposed by the change. The reasons could be found not only in
the lack of some main premises for the academic staff development but also
in the differences in reform consideration. In order to overcome these
problems, OSIM has presented to this faculty the opportunities offered by
regional HESP, primarily the possibility of staff development in areas
which have been identified as deficient from the education reform
perspective. The interest is double: to raise the level of competence of
the Faculty of Philosophy in the forthcoming process and to improve
academic content of the faculty itself. Although the interest for these
sorts of professional development has, somehow, been limited up to now,
benefits are expected in the long term. Simultaneously
with some concrete activities in reform preparation, OSIM has been engaged
in fostering cooperation with other donors active in education in
Montenegro. The original idea of OSIM to create Consortium of donors, has
been actualized with the announcement of the EC "OBNOVA" tender results,
which indicated British Council as an institution which will be in charge
of carrying out certain segments of education reform and which has
emphasized the need for partial review and rationalization of other
donors’ engagement on improvement/change of the education system in
Montenegro. OSIM reacted to such a development by conceptualizing its 2001
strategy towards the goals which seemed to be achievable, from the point
of view of British Council’s engagement. Ministry has also announced
that the coordination body, for the purpose of more efficient donor
cooperation, will be established at the Ministry level and will gather
some of the most important donors in education. The
main plans of OSIM remain dedicated to:
Next
seminar would deal with the teacher training which was identified as a
priority by the Ministry. Conclusion
Education
reform is not a static but rather dynamic program which is subject to
periodic review caused by numerous factors, mostly objective ones,
identified by the Ministry, other donors' activity and ambition of OSIM to
determine its goals in a realistic and strategic manner. OSIM has put and
will continue to put all its efforts in order to improve its own role in
the process, by means of active involvement in the process as well as
raising the level of expertise of its own staff in education reform
issues.
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