Both play and learning and a more beautiful space: Kindergartens can (and must) look like ‘Poletarac’

At the very beginning: due respect and love to our grandparents and all those wonderful aunts who love to babysit. But, the fact that all pedagogues and developmental psychologists draw attention to is that quality programmes of preschool education and upbringing contribute to the development of all the potentials of the child and have an important impact on their social life in future.

Unfortunately, Serbia still has one of the lowest rates of participation of children in preschool education compared to the countries of the European Union. According to the survey on the position of women and children in Serbia conducted by the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia in 2019, with the technical and financial support of UNICEF, the European Union, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Government of Serbia, the percentage of preschool attendance (36 -59 months) in the total population in Serbia increased from 50% in 2014 to 61% in 2019.

One of the ways – if not the best – to improve this result is systemic reforms of preschool education in Serbia. The European Union continues to provide support, primarily in providing modern equipment for kindergartens, and training for preschool teachers.

The project SUPER – Support to Preschool Education System Reform in Serbia, worth one million euros, enabled that in 50 local governments and preschool institutions throughout Serbia many preschool teachers and mentors undergo the necessary trainings. It also enabled provision of better equipment in preschool institutions that is used in work with children, which includes video, digital and IT equipment.

Through the project, 29 municipalities developed and adopted local strategies and action plans for planning and managing preschool education. So far, the EU has supported the equipping and renovation of over 300 schools and 50 preschool institutions across Serbia. We talked about the results of one of these projects with the employees of the preschool institution ‘Poletarac’ from Alibunar, which received modern IT equipment, modern aids for learning and playing.

Preschool teachers are satisfied with the new knowledge and skills they have acquired through trainings within the project.

“I can’t separate what is a bigger benefit for us and for them. Is it furniture, toys, a more pleasant space where children spend time? … Parents bring their children and leave them completely sure that they will feel nice here. We play together with the children. We have connected more strongly,” says Senka Vuković, a preschool specialist teacher who has been working in this kindergarten for more than thirty years.

The European Union, as the largest donor in Serbia, supports the modernisation of the education system and harmonisation with the standards and practices of EU countries. Since 2003, the EU has donated more than 100 million euros to reform the education sector – to improve preschool education, reform vocational and adult education, renovate and equip schools and colleges, support inclusive education, etc. The support of the European Union is implemented in cooperation with the Government of Serbia.