Summary:

In the ongoing reform of the educational system of Montenegro, development and provision of quality education is becoming increasingly more important. While innovative approaches have been introduced, educational services still face considerable challenges in terms of:

1. design and implementation of educational plans;
2. insufficient organizational/human capacities; and
3. insufficient capacities and inadequate (physical) conditions of educational facilities

Appropriate working conditions in education facilities, including outside areas and auxiliary premises and proper equipment are a precondition for the quality education. Also, understanding, readiness, participation and involvement of local community in school life needs to be promoted. UNDP assists the Ministry of Education to swiftly respond to these challenges.

Objectives:

The overall project objective is to support the reform of the educational system by creating infrastructural conditions that will meet the needs of all students and enable their quality education, equally in urban and rural areas, and. By creating adequate conditions that could meet students’ needs, provision of better-quality education services and education programmes in Montenegro would be enabled.

The project aims at supporting the capacities of national and local authorities in improving and optimizing the network of educational institutions and their facilities, thus increasing the potential to provide quality educational services in line with modern education requirements.

Activities:

• Upgrading of the existing network and facilities of educational institutions in Montenegro;
• Development of new facilities for the provision of preschool, primary-school, high-school and university education.

Results:

So far, we:

• Constructed and equipped a brand-new kindergarten in Župa, Nikšić, providing modern facilities to accommodate approximately 120 children. Construction of the new kindergarten in the Local Community Župa is an outcome of partnership between the Ministry of Education, the Public Institution “Dragan Kovačević”, municipality of Nikšić and UNDP.
• Reconstructed kindergarten in Kočani, Nikšić, as a result of a joint initiative of the Ministry of Education, the Public Institution “Dragan Kovačević”, municipality of Nikšić and UNDP.
• Reconstructed/renovated 2 kindergartens in Podgorica (“Đina Vrbica” and “Zvončić”).  
• Fully equipped kitchen of the new kindergarten “Dragan Radulović” in Podgorica.