PRESENTATION OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVING THE TEACHING OF SERBIAN AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

11. June 2015.

The Provincial Secretariat for Education, Regulations, Administration and National Minorities - National Communities and the Pedagogical Institute of Vojvodina hosted the representatives of the Coordination Body of the Government of the Republic of Serbia for the Municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia and representatives of the local self- governments and teachers from the municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja. The meeting was held on May 28, 2015, at the building of the Assembly of the AP (Autonomous Province) of Vojvodina, as part of the implementation of the recommendations for the improvement of teaching and learning Serbian as a second language in primary schools in Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja.

The guests were welcomed by Ljubica Srdjan, Assistant Secretary for Education, who informed them about the basic issues and special characteristics of education in the territory of Vojvodina, with a special emphasis on the education of members of national minorities - ethnic communities.

Lenka Erdelj, Director of the Pedagogical Institute of Vojvodina, presented the activities that the Institute had undertaken thus far in connection with the implementation and improvement of teaching Serbian as a second language in primary schools in the territory of Vojvodina. Danijela Nenadic, Director of the Coordination Body of the Government of the Republic of Serbia for the Municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja, explained the need for implementing the project in the territory of those municipalities. Special support to the teachers of Serbian as a second language, with the aim of improving their teaching, included the training of teachers, organized visits to and meetings with teachers from Vojvodina, as well as the presence in their classes.

The attendees had the opportunity to get answers to some of their questions and dilemmas regarding the possibilities of teaching the subject, especially in the preschool age, since the program isn’t implemented in the said three municipalities.

The Pedagogical Institute of Vojvodina provided to all attendees of the meeting a copy of the printed material entitled "The Program and Methodical Instructions for Teaching Serbian as a Second Language in the First and Second Grade of Primary School in Classes with Tuition in the Minority Language", the author of which is Melanija Mikes, PhD (2006), and of “Serbian as a Second Language - Differentiated Curriculum from the First to the Eighth Grade of Primary School” (the proposal), the authors of which are Dusanka Zvekic-Dusanovic and Natasa Dobric (2007).

The hosts and attendees of the event expressed their desire and willingness to continue their cooperation and, in accordance with the possibilities and needs, to expand it in the coming period.

Source: Provincial Secretariat for Education, Administration, Regulations and National Minorities - National Communities and Coordination Body