THE LIFE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS DURING THE PANDEMIC

30. September 2020.

What was the educational process like during the state of emergency? How effective was it? What are the consequences of quarantine for students? How did the students spend their free time during the restricted freedom of movement?

These are just some of the questions that the Union of Secondary School Students of Serbia tried to answer in a review of the life of secondary school students during the pandemic "Did Anyone Pay Attention to Secondary School Students and Why Not." The goal of this document is to present various aspects of the life of secondary school students during the COVID-19 virus pandemic (education, compliance with the rights and liberties, leisure time), as well as the recommendations for fighting against the negative consequences of the pandemic for education and everyday life of secondary school students.

Thanks to the analysis of the available data and interviews with secondary school students, the Union of Secondary School Students of Serbia has determined that the four biggest positive and negative aspects of the distance learning process are the following: (1) Unrealistic expectations of teachers and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, (2) The importance of peer education and support, (3) The importance of feedback and (4) Students' impression that they will gain less knowledge in this process than it would have been the case in traditional education.

Based on this publication, the Union of Secondary School Students of Serbia will continue to advocate the inclusion of the student perspective in the decision-making process concerning the continuation of education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the most important advocated recommendations are as follows:

1. Introduce the process of teacher consultation with students when choosing the teaching tools and evaluating the quality of the implemented program.

2. Develop a matrix for monitoring the quality of the implemented online educational program.

3. Provide financial support programs, the focus of which will not be on specific projects, but which will strengthen youth organizations institutionally and programmatically.

The publication is available on https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vUunO2Kb1siXcre-HdCgr_DiXSd4__Le/view

The review of the life of secondary school students during the pandemic was developed as part of the project “We are present, but you do not hear us!”, which aims to recognize student parliaments of secondary schools in Serbia as relevant and representative decision-making bodies at the level of their educational institutions and the entire educational system. The publication was made possible as part of the program "Active Citizens - Better Society: Advocating for Cooperation and Democratic Development of Serbia", which is implemented by the BOS, with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Source: Union of Secondary School Students of Serbia and Coordination Body