Paving the way towards a digital, inclusive and transformative education in Montenegro

The education system in Montenegro is faced with long-standing systemic weaknesses that limit children’s and adolescents’ capacities to learn and thrive in a modern, digital world. Many of them, especially in the northern regions, experience unequal and limited access to education, and poor-quality inadequate school infrastructure. Funding for the digitalisation of education is limited, restricting the educational advancement of children and adolescents. 

The COVID-19 pandemic unveiled further issues, primarily drawing attention to insufficient digital capacities and skills among teachers and secondly the need for schools to mitigate disruption to learning during school closure learning processes. Education is still recovering from the pandemic effects. A general loss of learning and motivation, loneliness, isolation and mental health problems can be felt among children and adolescents, especially affecting those disadvantaged. 

To address these issues, the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation of Montenegro, UNESCO, UNICEF and ILO partner with “Digital,  inclusive, and transformative: Quality education for Montenegro”. Of a two-year duration, the project launched on 8 March 2024, in Podgorica, Montenegro, is financed ($500,000) by the Montenegro Acceleration Fund, an advanced and innovative tool for partners to deliver on “last mile” commitments for SDG achievement and to support the accession process to the European Union.

This joint initiative seeks to strengthen the educational system in Montenegro by facilitating the digital transformation of education in disadvantaged communities, through a smart and inclusive integration of digital tools and capacities into pedagogical practice. The project will provide direct support to children and adolescents, involving them as active participants in co-creating digital programmes and solutions that reflect their needs and preferences. In doing so, this initiative will ensure their voices are heard and taken into consideration throughout planning, design, decision making, implementation, and monitoring.

The project envisages several components: the development of digital content that will become an integral part of the Digital School concept; teacher and ICT coordinator training; equipping and launching EdTech hubs; and, organising digital summer camps for pupils. The project will be implemented in 12 schools across 6 municipalities in North Montenegro, reaching over 6,000 children and adolescents and more than 300 teachers and ICT coordinators.

“From UNESCO’s perspective, quality and inclusive education is a cornerstone of social progress, and its integration with digital technologies is essential to foster equitable and sustainable development, and it is also our common responsibility for the future generations.” - Siniša Šešum, Head, UNESCO Antenna in Sarajevo

In the next 2 years, UNESCO, through its Regional Bureau for Science and Europe, will work closely with the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation of Montenegro to:

• equip teachers with skills for the use of digital tools in online and offline teaching practices;
• support the integration of media and information literacy concepts into formal education;
• develop digital content on preventing online violence for teachers, students and parents.

Montenegrin Minister Anđela Jakšić-Stojanović stressed that the digital environment has become a natural environment for children and young people, emphasising the need for schools to foster environments conducive to the development of digital and other competencies aligned with educational objectives.

“This project is in line with the strategy and is essential for developing and improving pupils’ and teachers’ digital skills. It is of special importance for us to establish EdTech hubs in educational institutions that will gather children and give them opportunities to improve their digital skills. It is also important to encourage and support children who show interest in information and communication technologies,” Jakšić-Stojanović added.

”We have come to the conclusion that the educational system plays a key role in the process of digital transformation. In this regard, we will strive to intensively work on creating digital content that will improve the educational process and provide schools with enough resources to modernise teaching and their work in general" - Anđela Jakšić-Stojanović, Minister of Education, Science and Innovation of Montenegro

The launch event was attended by numerous representatives from Montenegro, namely the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation, the Bureau for Education Services, and the Centre for Vocational Education and Training (VET Centre), as well as members of youth and minority group associations, school principals, and teachers. 

Participants welcomed with enthusiasm this new joint UN initiative focused on the inclusion of disadvantaged children and youth from North Montenegro, stressing the need to address the digital and learning gaps of the most marginalised. All the participants agreed that education is undergoing an unprecedented transformation, which is further exacerbated by accelerated technological developments. In this regard, the project will put effective effort into fostering the capabilities of the education system in Montenegro to be more resilient and flexible, in order to provide equal and quality learning opportunities for all.