1. NOTE: To change the image on this slide, select the picture and delete it. Then click the Pictures icon in the placeholder to insert your own image. THE GENDER DIMENSION IN TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN SERBIA MA Jelena Vukicevic, PhD Jelena Djermanov University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Pedagogy (SERBIA)

2. GENDER DIMENSION IN EDUCATION

3. 1.1Gender Equality as an Educational Aim  Education expected to empower the disadvantaged gender members, girls and women, raise their freedom of choice and action and raise the level of gender equality in society.  Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women – Millennium Development Goal.  Achievement in Serbia mostly at policy level: the female unemployment rate is rising and there is a segregation of occupations by gender; women working at less paid positions and those associated with government services; on a monthly basis, women earn 17% less than men; women from minority and/or other vulnerable groups are exposed to multiple discrimination and marginalization; the area of political decision- making is highly closed to women, decisions are often made in informal groups of men, in a not transparent manner and outside of the relevant institutions; institutional support for victims of violence and prevention measures in Serbia are still far below the actual needs.

4. 1.2Gender Sensitive Approach to Education  Gender-sensitive education is based on the understanding that gender inequality in education is at the same time a consequence and a cause of deep-rooted inequalities in society, and that it is necessary to actively, consciously and deliberately create an education that will be equal in all its aspects.  Includes investing effort to ensure that both genders are equally involved, using the activities that enhance active participation of both genders in all educational activities, providing the opportunities to use different learning styles and creating the environment that supports the development of members of both genders and an atmosphere of mutual respect and active, empathic listening, based on the attitudes and beliefs that respect differences and take into account persons previous experience.  At its core is a desire to create optimal and supportive conditions for the maximal personal development of each student, to provide equal opportunities and encourage students to critically examine existing gender based discriminating attitudes and behaviours and to offer them role models that are different from traditional and not based on gender stereotypes.

5. THE GENDER DIMENSION IN TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN SERBIA

6. 2.1Gender related laws and regulations in Serbia  The normative level concerning the regulations in the field of gender equality in Serbia is more developed then the level of their implementation in the practice:  Constitution of the Republic of Serbia - State shall guarantee the equality of women and men and develop equal opportunities policy;  Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination;  The Law on Fundamentals of Education System;  National Strategy for Improvement of the Position of Women and Advancement of Gender Equality;  Gender Equality Act;  Millennium Development Goals.

7. 2.2Teacher education in Serbia  PRESET education is the formal high education that students attend in order to obtain a degree that qualifies them for teaching. In the Serbian educational system teachers can attend university programs specifically designed for future teachers – this qualifies them to teach in first four years of elementary education, or programs for a disciplinary area that equivalent to a school subject, which may or may not have a special track for teachers – which qualifies them to teach from fifth grade in elementary school until the end of secondary school.  Formal system of INSET teacher education in Serbia is realised through a number of programs accredited by the Institute for the Improvement of Education and published in a catalogue from which the schools can choose a program based on expressed teachers needs and interests. The Rulebook for Teacher Professional Development specifies that teachers must participate in at least 100 hours of the programs from the catalogue - up to 40 hours are elective, and the remaining 60, or more, come from listed required programs.

8. 2.3Gender Sensitivity in Initial Teacher Education Programs (PRESET)  The following table (table 1) presents the results of the assessment of content, goals, and outcomes of main elementary teacher education programs in Serbian Universities (Universities of Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš, and Kragujevac, in the cities of Belgrade, Novi Sad, Vršac, Sombor, Jagodina, Užice, and Vranje) in view of the presence of gender dimension.  The assessment of programs in teacher education shows very rare presence of gender dimension, mostly in content, very rarely in aims, mostly in sociological subjects and no programs with the explicit aim to raise the students’ knowledge and skills for gender sensitive teaching. Although most of the analysed programs were accredited as recently as 2014, the changes at policy level that occurred until then had not led to the significant raise of the presence of gender dimension in the preparation of teachers.

9. Table 1 – part 1 FACULTY UNIVERSITY/YEA R OF ACCREDITATION GENDER DIMENSION IN CONTENT, GOALS OR OUTCOMES STATUS THE PROGRAMM E/ SCOPE OF ECTS Teacher Training Faculty Belgrade University of Belgrade, undergraduate. 2014 No direct mention of gender dimension in content, goals or outcomes of the programme. SOURCE: www.uf.bg.ac.rs www.uf.bg.ac.rs / Faculty for Special Education and Rehabilitation University of Belgrade, undergraduate. 2009 Mentioned in one study course: I Basic Sociology: Content: 1. “gender and sexuality”; “gender and social inequality”. SOURCE: www.fasper.bg.ac.rs/st_osnovne.htmlwww.fasper.bg.ac.rs/st_osnovne.html * required ECTS 3 Faculty of Education Sombor University of Novi Sad, undergraduate. 2014 Mentioned in four study courses: I Sociology of the Family: Content: 1. “gender and gender relations in the family””; 2. “the gender division of labor and changes in the male domination”; 3. “the gender and the power of Balkan family” Aims: 1. “Introduce the students with gender relationships” * elective; ECTS 4 II Sociology Content: 1. “gender and gender differences”; 2. “gender and sex”; 3. “differences between sexes and genders, male domination” * elective; ECTS 4 III Sociology of the Education Content: 1. “gender and education” Aims: 1. “introducing the theoretical knowledge and the researches about the gender inequalities and education” * required; ECTS 3 IV Civic Education Content: 1. “Characteristics of sex and gender. Education for gender equality of the sexes” SOURCE: www.pef.uns.ac.rswww.pef.uns.ac.rs * elective ECTS 7

10. Table 1 – part 2 FACULTY UNIVERSITY/YEAR OF ACCREDITATION GENDER DIMENSION IN CONTENT, GOALS OR OUTCOMES STATUS THE PROGRAMM E/ SCOPE OF ECTS Teacher Training Faculty Vranje University of Niš, undergraduate. 2009 Mentioned in two study course: I Sociology of the Family: Content: 1. “family and gender system in the contemporary society” * required ECTS 3 II General Sociology Content: 1. "Gender and sexuality; homosexuality; prostitution”. SOURCE: www.ucfak.ni.ac.rs www.ucfak.ni.ac.rs * required; ECTS 3 Teacher Training Faculty Užice University of Kragujevac, undergraduate. 2014 Mentioned in three study course: I Expert practice Content: 1.”gender roles in the classroom” * required ECTS 5 II Family Pedagogy Content: 1. „declaration on the Rights of Women, women in the contemporary family". * required ECTS 4 III Civic Education Aims: 1. “awareness of the need to respect diversity and uniqueness; 2. identifying and understanding the ways of overcoming the stereotypes related to gender. age appearance Content: 1. „identifying stereotypes, consequences of stereotypes, ways of overcoming stereotypes " SOURCE: www.ucfu.kg.ac.rs www.ucfu.kg.ac.rs *elective ECTS 5 Teacher Training Faculty Jagodina University of Kragujevac, undergraduate. 2014 Mentioned in one study course: I Family and the contemporary society: Content: 1.”sexes and gender division of labor in the family”SOURCE: www.pefja.kg.ac.rswww.pefja.kg.ac.rs * elective ECTS 5

11. 2.4Gender Sensitivity in programs for professional development of teachers (INSET)  The following table (table 2) presents the results of the assessment of acreddited INSET programs in catalogues published since 2006/2007 in view of the presence of gender dimension. The catalogues without gender dimension are not presented.  The presented data support the conclusion that the educational practice is not adequately following the policy level. There is a growth in a number of programs that include gender dimension and its importance, but they are mostly elective, and it is still a small percentage when overall number of offered programs (less than 1%) and the number of teachers is taken into account.

12. Table 2 – part 1 Year & No. of programs including gender dimension Name and status (*elective or required) Gender dimension element SOURCES: Center for Professional Development in Education http://www.zuov.gov.rs/http://www.zuov.gov.rs/ Value in points 2006/ 2007 1 Counselling with children and adolescents *required Aim: Empowering teachers to assist high school students to gain knowledge, develop skills and abilities and adopt values ​​ necessary for the overall development of the personality and a competent, responsible and engaged life in contemporary civil society in a spirit of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, peace, tolerance, gender equality, understanding and friendship among all peoples, ethnic, national and religious groups. 30 points 2008/ 2009 2 Promotion of sexual and reproductive health of adolescents *elective Content: Sex, gender and gender issues 10 points Counselling with children and adolescents *required Same as in 2006/2007 catalogue. 30 points 2010/ 2011 2 Through the power of stories to gender equality, cultural pluralism and creative conflict resolution *required Content: Problems of discrimination and gender stereotypes, gender equality. 16 points Gender equality *elective Aim: Improving the competence of teachers for gender mainstreaming in the educational process Content: Representation of gender, gender and sex concepts, gender roles; socialization, learning of gender roles, gender-based stereotypes and prejudices; gender equality, discrimination and gender equality; 15 points

13. Table 2 – part 2 Year & No. of programs including gender dimensio n Name and status (*elective or required) Gender dimension element SOURCES: Center for Professional Development in Education http://www.zuov.gov.rs/http://www.zuov.gov.rs/ Value in points 2011/ 2012 2 Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Youth *elective Content: Gender issues and their impact on the reproductive health of young people Gender equality *electiveSame as in 2010/2011 catalogue. 2012/ 2014 3 Education for gender and ethnic equality *required Content: Forms of discrimination and violence based on gender diversity; Gender discrimination in schools; Psychological constructions of gender identity and stereotypes, stereotypes and prejudices of teachers/students; gender discrimination in textbooks. 16 points Gender equality *electiveSame as in 2010/2011 catalogue. 15 points Training for school directors and teachers *elective Aim: personal and collective awareness of rights and responsibilities, gender equality Content: Gender equality, prejudices of social differences related to sex and gender, discrimination. 24 points 2014/ 2015 & 2015/ 2016 3 Different but equal - an affirmation of human values *elective Aim: respect for diversity Content: Gender equality and discrimination. 8 points Gender equality and reproductive health *elective Aim: Improving the competencies of teachers to introduce reproductive health and gender equality in the educational process, raising awareness and knowledge of students on gender equality and gender- based discrimination. Content: Gender equality 8 points All our identities *elective Aim: To develop competencies of teachers for introducing gender perspective in primary education. Content: Gender equality in education in Serbia; The social construction of gender; Image of "male" and "female" in the syllabus; Integrating content on gender equality in the educational process; Gender equality in the practice of educational institutions. 15 points

14. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF TEACHER EDUCATION IN SERBIA

15. Recommendations for the Improvement of Teacher Education in Serbia  Through appropriate training increase the sensitivity of teachers and other employees in the educational system for gender content of teaching materials and teaching practices;  Educate teachers to recognize the gender stereotypes when they are not the explicit theme of the session;  Train teachers to recognize their own prejudices and stereotypes and overcome them;  Train teachers to recognize gender-neutral, gender-sensitive and gender-stereotypical language;  Introduce basic training of teachers on the problems of discrimination;  Include gender sensitivity in the list of competencies defined by Standards of Competences for Teaching Profession and Their Professional Development.

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