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EACEA National Policies Platform
Serbia

Serbia

6. Education and Training

6.2 Administration and governance

Last update: 28 November 2023
  1. Governance

  2. Cross-sectoral cooperation

Governance

Main actors

As described in the national description in Eurydice database/ 2.6 Administration and Governance at Central and/or Regional Level, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development bears the overall responsibility for developing and implementing education policy in Serbia.

The Ministry is regulated in the following manner and it organises the work through sectors that are responsible for certain levels and aspects of education:

  1. Department for Preschool and Primary Education;
  2. Department for Secondary Education and Adult Education;
  3. Department for International Cooperation and European Integrations;
  4. Department for Higher Education;
  5. Department for Human and Minority Rights in Education;
  6. Department for Dual Education and Upbringing;
  7. Department for Digitalization in Education and Science;
  8. Department for Students’ Standards and Investments;
  9. Department for Legal Issues;
  10. Department for Finances;
  11. Department for Inspection Issues;
  12. Department for Science;
  13. Department for Technological Development, Transfer of Technologies and Innovation System.

In addition to the Ministry, other actors constitute the system. The National Education Council and the Council for Vocational and Adult Education, appointed by the Parliament and by the Government, respectively, provide support to the promotion and development of education. These bodies design, monitor and coordinate the development of education and training, as well as monitor and coordinate the interests and needs of all social partners.

The Institute for Education Quality and Evaluation is a body established by the government with the aim of evaluation of education and providing recommendations for the provision of the system of quality education. Key activities of the Institute are defining standards in education, evaluation of education, training participants in the education system.

The Institute for Improvement of Education is a body established by the Republic of Serbia that performs developmental, advisory and research work in preschool, primary and secondary education in order to monitor, ensure and improve the quality and development of the educational system.

In accordance with the Law on Higher Education, the National Council for Higher Education is responsible for ensuring the development and promotion of the quality of higher education.

National Entity for Accreditation and Quality Assurance in Higher Education of Serbia - NEAQA is established by the Government to perform the tasks of accreditation, to check the quality of higher education institutions and units within their constituency, to evaluate study programs and to ensure quality in higher education.  Professional body of the NEAQA is the Commission for Accreditation and Quality Assurance.  

The Qualification Agency is in charge of the coordination and support of the National Qualifications Framework in Serbia (NQFS) Council, the cooperation with relevant international bodies and institutions and referencing of NQFS with the European Qualifications Framework, the coordination and support of the Sector Skills Councils as well as support of the development of Qualifications Standards.

General distribution of responsibilities

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development has established 18 district school authorities (see Glossary) for performing professional and pedagogical supervision, external evaluation of the institutions’ work, supporting development planning and improving the quality of the institution’s work.

The Ministry within the district school authorities:

  1. conducts professional-pedagogical supervision in institutions;
  2. plans and implements external evaluation of the institutions’ work;
  3. monitor and propose professional development of teachers, educators, professional associates, directors and secretaries of the institution and make proposals for professional development;
  4. support development planning, development of preschool, school and educational programs and improvement of the quality of education, in support of self-evaluation and implementation of external evaluation;
  5. participate in the preparation of the plan for the development of education for the district for which the school administration has been established and monitor its implementation;
  6. ensure all conditions for institutions to smoothly maintain an education database within the unique education information system;
  7. cooperate with all competent authorities, services and organizations in the particular district;
  8. participate in the planning of the institutions’ network.

Local self-government bodies, their structure, authority and scope of action, as well as the role of other organizations and institutions at the local level, are regulated by the Law on Local Self-Government. In addition to this law, the work of local self-government is in more detail regulated by the municipal or city statute. The municipality among other things, takes care of citizens’ needs in the field of education (preschool, primary and secondary education), scientific research and innovation activities, culture, health and social care, child protection, sports and physical education.

Cross-sectoral cooperation

In accordance with the Law on Youth, the Local Youth Council (see Glossary) is the governmental advisory body of the Municipal Assembly/City Assembly responsible for cross-sectoral collaborative work. Council gathers members of different ministries, youth offices and national councils of national minorities, youth organizations, organizations for youth and their associations enabling cross-sectoral, horizontal, inter-ministerial and interdepartmental approach to youth policy-making across various policy-making fields, aiming at maximizing the potential of youth policy. It encourages, coordinates and monitors activities related to the development and implementation of youth policy at the local level and proposes measures for its improvement.

The Local Youth Council has two important roles: 

  • It is a body that allows young people to participate actively in decision-making; 
  • It is a body for networking and cross-sectoral cooperation with various institutions involved in the field of youth (schools, Ministry of Interior, National Employment Service, Health Centers, etc.).

Members of the Council are representatives of: Ministry of Youth and Sport, Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Ministry for Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of State Administration and Local Self-Government, Ministry of Culture and Information, Provincial Secretariat for Sports and Youth, common representative of the national councils of national minorities, expert in youth policy, Sombor Youth Office, Novi Pazar Youth Office, as well as the representatives of youth organizations, organizations for youth and their associations such as: “Građanske inicijative”, “Centar za razvojnu politiku i saradnju”, “NAPOR”, ”Lovefest”, “Unija srednjoškolaca Srbije”, “Resurs centar Bor”, “Međunarodna organizacija studenata AISEC Srbije”, “Savez izviđača Srbije”.