The connection of scientific research results with public education policies was discussed at the meeting at the Institute of Social Sciences “Social Sciences and Education” on November 21, 2024.
The meeting was opened by the Director of the Institute of Social Sciences, Dr. Goran Bašić, and then the attendees were addressed by Vukašin Grozdić, State Secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technological Development, Assistant Minister of Education for International Cooperation, Dr. Aleksandar Jović, and State Secretary Ivica Radović on behalf of the Ministry of Education, emphasizing in which fields the cooperation of the Institute of Social Sciences and public education policies can contribute to the development and improvement of the education system in the Republic of Serbia.Within the session “Experiences of cooperation between scientific institutes and public policies in Croatia and Slovenia,” experts from the region, Boris Jokić, director of the Institute for Social Research in Zagreb, Darko Lončarić, dean of the Faculty of Teacher Education in Rijeka, and Sonja Novak Lukanović, director of the Institute for Ethnic Research in Ljubljana, shared their experiences in providing support to educational authorities and developing the education system in their countries.
They looked at examples of good practices that have contributed to the improvement of the education system at the national and local levels. The emphasis was also on the development of fundamental and applied research at the Institute of Social Sciences, as well as on empowering participants, colleagues, and experts from Serbia, as well as ISS researchers, in creating a scientific and methodological fund that will aim at social progress.Cooperation with public policies involves adapting ISS research to the needs of various types of tasks that serve to improve the quality of education, as well as networking scientific institutes, line ministries, the Institute for Quality Assessment of Education, and the Institute for the Improvement of Education.During the discussion, some conclusions were drawn, including the need to formalize cooperation with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Science, Technological Development, and Innovation.
Additionally, the need to organize a working meeting was highlighted, at which representatives of the Ministry of Education would jointly identify and delegate specific topics that need to be researched in order to formulate public and educational policies and define and monitor the strategy for the development of education and upbringing in the Republic of Serbia. Evaluation models and strategies for developing the quality of education encompass issues of reconceptualization of quality in the field of education in the Republic of Serbia. These steps represent key guidelines for further formal directing of the Institute’s research efforts towards specific needs and challenges of public education and educational policies in Serbia.
