On Wednesday 27 September, European Commissioner for Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn and Serbia's European Integration Minister Jadranka Joksimovi took part in the signature of projects worth €27.4 million to support education in Serbia. The projects will help Serbia meet the needs of the labour market, Hahn announced.
"This will improve teachers' capacities and will improve the education of the most vulnerable minorities in Serbia", he said at a press conference after the signature of the projects. Around 40,000 teachers will be trained under the new training programme, 4,000 minority language teachers will receive special training, and all the textbooks needed for the minorities will be published. "This will put all pupils on an equal footing, offering tailor-made pedagogical support for Roma children, for example", Hahn said, adding that 700 Roma pupils would receive study grants. "This will reduce the schools drop-out rates and early school-leaving, especially among young Roma girls", he said.
Hahn stated that the legislative and institutional framework would also be improved, which will enable training to be given that corresponds to market needs. "I also hope that this will reduce migration pressure in the future, if education and the labour market are attractive in the country", he added. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)