As soon as it came into force, the new Rulebook on Evaluation has already caused divided opinions among educators. While the Ministry points out that it is necessary to have the Rulebook related to the introduction of order and preventive measures, some believe that it is vague, and some believe that it devastates Serbian education.
The Ministry of Education published new regulations on the assessment of students in primary and secondary education institutions, as well as the Regulations on community service, that is, humanitarian work, the ministry announced.
The new regulations were adopted in order to harmonize with the amendments to the Law on the Basics of the Education System, which provides for the numerical assessment of governance in primary and secondary schools, starting from the second grade of primary school.
Minister of Education Slavica Đukić Dejanović explained that the regulations specify the procedure and criteria for evaluating student performance, which is done twice a semester and affects the general success of students.
"The aim of this measure is to be preventive. It is important for students to know that their behavior is also evaluated and that the evaluation of governance affects their results and overall success," said Đukić Dejanović.
Procedures require administration
Additionally, the method of grading students who have been excused from classes for a longer period of time, the specifics of grading in music and ballet schools, and the already existing provisions related to canceling written knowledge tests when more than 50 percent of the grades are negative have been specified.
The clarification means that the written test is canceled in the event that 50 percent of the students who took the test receive a negative grade.
The president of the Forum of Belgrade High Schools, Aleksandar Markov, tells "Vreme" that he would first of all trust in the professional credibility, understanding and ability of teachers to negotiate with students.
"A large number of teachers took their own initiative and made special examination plans. Now that it is in the form of an obligation, it is not entirely clear whether a student who returns from sick leave at the time of the planned written assignment or control exercise must complete it immediately," says Markov.
He adds that the number of absences that students can make, without having their grade in governance reduced, has also increased.
"I think it is not good because we have a large number of absences in schools anyway, and now the calculation with absences will increase when it comes to knowledge tests. In the administrative sense, all this increases the administrative duties of teachers.
I think it would be much more useful if it was possible for students who are struggling to follow the classes online. Of course, this requires technical prerequisites, which implies certain allocations", says Markov.
As the interlocutor of "Vremena" explained, if a link in the chain of headmaster-pedagogue-teacher breaks, the possibility of parental complaints about the grade also increases.
A solution for disgruntled parents
On the other hand, the president of the Union of Trade Unions of Belgrade Schools, Snežana Romandić Petrović, believes that teachers have gained more than lost with the new Rulebook.
"A lot of public attention was attracted by the fact that, for the first time, the method and procedure for parents who are dissatisfied with the work of a teacher to report a teacher was specified. The public is talking about it the most, and what is not known is that we were notified as soon as anyone arrived", says Romandić Petrović.
Up until now, parents have reported complaints directly to the school principal. Most often, as our interlocutor says, these were anonymous reports.
"I think that the Ministry wanted to solve a large number of applications from dissatisfied parents, so they specified part of the procedure and returned it to the schools. Now half or more of the class must declare that the teacher did something wrong. The application is made inside the school, so only after several procedures the opinion is given to the school director, who together with the expert secretary and based on the council's opinion makes a decision on the sanction", explains Romandić Petrović.
Procedure for dealing with crisis events
For secondary schools, the number of grades for subjects and programs for classes less than two per week, as well as grading in secondary vocational and dual education in relation to the specifics of practical teaching, was additionally regulated.
The minister added that the Rulebook on the performance of socially beneficial, i.e. humanitarian work in educational institutions, which now has, above all, a preventive role, has been published.
"The purpose of community service in schools is to develop empathy, solidarity and cooperation and activism. Through these activities, students should improve the skills needed for responsible participation in society, as well as be empowered to respect and promote human rights.
"Socially useful activities in schools are no longer just a tool of enhanced educational work, as was the case until now, but are an integral part of the preventive plan for protection against violence, which is planned in the school's annual work plan and is implemented in order to include all students," she said. Djukic Dejanovic.
The minister announced that in the coming days, the procedures for the actions of educational institutions in crisis events will be published, which will be part of the Rulebook on the protocol of actions in the institution in response to violence, abuse and neglect.
In addition, a manual "Procedure of educational institutions in crisis events" and training was prepared with the aim of empowering employees to react in a timely manner in crisis situations.
The Democratic Party demands the immediate withdrawal of the Rulebook
The Departmental Committee for Education of the Democratic Party asked Minister Slavica Đukić Dejanović to immediately withdraw the new Rulebook on Evaluation, because it was adopted without consultation with educators and contains provisions that make the position of educators more difficult and degrading and lead to the further collapse of the education system in Serbia.
As stated in the announcement of this party, "this decision goes in the direction of further devastation of Serbian education".
It is added that the provision which, at the request of more than half of the parents, initiates the procedure of control and evaluation of the work of teachers, enables the opening of Pandora's box.
"Already after several actions initiated by disgruntled parents like this, a large number of teachers will further lower the already low criteria for evaluation or leave education, because they will not allow that persons who are not qualified to evaluate the work of educators can now initiate processes for examining the quality of their work . The teaching staff is already overwhelmed by the administration, they are expected to be psychologists and security guards, and all for a salary lower than the national average. The new Rulebook on evaluation is only a drop in the already full glass of bile," the DS states.
The request for disqualification of the prosecutor delayed the implementation of the order for the arrest of the legal representatives of the "Millennium Team". The case has now been taken over by the First Basic Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade, which should continue the proceedings urgently
The tender for the construction of the mast at Ušće was suspended because no offer was received. In the city budget, only 5,4 million dinars are planned for this purpose, while no funds are planned for the next two years.
For 75 months of living in a 36-square-meter apartment in Dorćol, I spent 21.600 euros. For that money, I could buy five square meters in the Old Town at the moment, which has risen on average from 2.129 to 3.958 euros for old buildings.
Poštanska štedionica takes over the payment of insured deposits to clients of Alta Bank, whose license was revoked by the NBS, and individuals and certain legal entities will be able to withdraw money, up to a limit of EUR 50.000 per depositor.
On the EON platform, Informer TV was moved from the previous 11th place to the 402nd position, while at Telekom Srbija it is in the 130th place.
At the moment when the institutions of the Republic are destroyed, when Vučić's octopus is still alive, when people are disgusted by the injustice and the stench left behind by the Essenes regime, we have, as Machiavelli said, only civic virtue as the fuel with which we can return to the beginning
The four independent members of REM are an example of perseverance and civic responsibility. Rodoljub Šabić even, upon leaving the premises of REM, after the sentencing of the Informer, experienced that the Essenes insulted him, hit him with their hands and feet. But that too will soon be over
Vučić pardoned the batterers and Dijana Hrkalović. The election winners should abolish the sultan's power that allows one man to run afoul of the entire judicial system
Interview: Branko Stamenković, public prosecutor of the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office
A black picture and the breakdown of the rule of law subscribeThe archive of the weekly Vreme includes all our digital editions, since the very beginning of our work. All issues can be downloaded in PDF format, by purchasing the digital edition, or you can read all available texts from the selected issue.
See all
