With the financial support worth EUR3,75 million, the EU has made a significant contribution to social inclusion of children, especially the children that previously did not have an opportunity of attending preschool: within the framework of IMPRES project seven prefabricated kindergartens were constructed, ten home to preschool/kindergarten transport vehicles were granted, while educators and other preschool institutions’ staff were provided further education through dozens of seminars and workshops, Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Michael Davenport said at the project’s closing conference, held in Belgrade on Friday, April 25.

Improvement of preschool education in Serbia (IMPRES) is a joint project of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia and the European Union for whose implementation the EU has secured EUR3,75 million from the pre-accession funds (IPA funds) for Serbia.

The overall objective of the project is to contribute to social inclusion and poverty reduction by improving preschool provision and broadening access for children, especially from disadvantaged groups.

The purpose of the project is to strengthen the conditions of preschool education for children, especially those from vulnerable groups, through improvements in the quality of preschool programmes and expansion of the capacities of preschool institutions.

“We laid a firm foundation for progress. Not only foundations for these seven newly built kindergartens, but for an overall modernisation of preschool education in line with the best European and global practices,” Davenport said.

“Altogether, we have provided better development and learning conditions for some 1700 kids aged 3-5,5 years across Serbia. We provided the educators with new knowledge, methods and systems in order to improve their work. What also matters is that we provided support to parents because I know for certain that some of dads, but mostly moms, are now far more unburdened and able to devote their time to themselves or to searching for a job, something they previously couldn’t do,” he added.

15 pilot municipalities are included in the project activities – Pozarevac-Kostolac, Petrovac na Mlavi, Arandjelovac, Leskovac, Kruševac, Ražanj, Surdulica, Gadžin Han, Bela Palanka, Užice, Tutin, Ruma, Beočin, Šabac and Mali Zvornik.

Main results of the project were presented at the closing conference of the project that was launched in February 2011 and lasted until April 2014.

“When it comes to modernisation of education system the European Union will continue to be your main partner, as it has been so far. I just want to remind you that since 2000 the EU has invested EUR62 million of grants aimed at reforming education system in Serbia,” Davenport said.

For more information about the project, please visit www.impres.rs.