Policy Support Component Experts Meeting

Belgrade, 1-2 October 2013

On 1 and 2 October 2013,  inclusive education policy experts from the South East Europe region (Estevan Ikonomi, Adila Pašalić Kreso, Marija Bartulović, Aleksandra Radoman Kovačević, Tinde Cerović-Kovač, Ognen Spasovski, Dukagjin Pupovci) held their first meeting in Belgrade.

The group discussed policy component implementation mechanisms including PolicyNet membership and policy component activities. These will bridge the gap between the experiences of inclusive education in the Pilot schools and the necessary policy frameworks (implementations).

The regional experts shared their experiences and presented overviews of the existing policy frameworks in inclusive education, implementation gaps and the main challenges.

Good practices from the EU countries were also presented and discussed. The Finnish experience was presented by Raisa Venäläinen, Senior education consultant and former inclusive education teacher and the British by David Crabtree, Education consultant at Development Centre of Westminster University.

Policy expert meeting agenda

1st October 2013

Welcome
Ms Antje Rothemund, Head of Office, Council of Europe Office in Belgrade

JP Regional Support for Inclusive Education, Project Introduction
Ms Vesna Atanasova, Senior Project Officer
(General Project introduction; components; implementation structure; introduction of the meeting moderator)

Objective of the meeting
Ms Raisa VENÄLÄINEN, moderator
(The main objective of the meeting is to help project team in designing Policy component content and implementation mechanisms including Policy Net membership and Policy Component activities) 

Policy Framework – Country overviews

• Overview of the existing policy framework in inclusive education
  (Is it adequate? is it being implemented? What are the implementation gaps?)
• Main challenges
  • Albania, Mr Estevan IKONOMI, Inclusive Education Expert   
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ms Adila PAŠALIĆ KRESO, Professor, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Sarajevo
  • Croatia, Ms Marija BARTULOVIĆ, Assistant Professor at Department of Pedagogy at Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb
  • Montenegro, Ms Aleksandra RADOMAN KOVAČEVIĆ, Executive Director, Education and Training Center
  • Serbia, Ms Tinde KOVAČ-CEROVIĆ, Professor, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade
  • "The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", Dr Ognen SPASOVSKI, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Skopje
  • Kosovo*[1], Dr Dukagjin PUPOVCI, Executive Director, KEC

Discussions and conclusions

2nd October 2013

Conclusions from 1st day - Inclusive Education in South East Europe – common policy challenges
Ms Raisa VENÄLÄINEN, Senior Education Consultant

Inclusive Education, The British experience
Mr David CRABTREE, Development Centre, University of Westminster

Inclusive Education, The Finnish experience
Ms Raisa VENÄLÄINEN, Senior Education Consultant

Inclusive education policy vision in South East Europe, discussion

JP Regional support for inclusive education - project developments

• School Net  (Ms Zorica Lesić)
• Teachers Net (Ms Eljona Elmazi)
• Policy Net  (Ms Aleksandra Vidanović)

Policy Net members, Discussion

Policy component activities, Discussion

This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence