The micro-bit equipment, worth thousands of euros, was awarded to schools whose students have achieved excellent results at national and regional competitions in the use of micro-bit computers, the Ministry of Education stated.
This department said that the equipment provided by the Government was allocated to the elementary schools "Vuk Karadzic" in Berane, "Risto Ratkovic" in Bijelo Polje, "Vuko Jovovic" in Danilovgrad, "Njegos" in Cetinje, "Marko Nuculovic" in Stoj and "Radomir Mitrovic” in Berane.
At a ceremony organized on the occasion of the award of the equipment, it was stated that the goal of digitization was to understand the school material better, not to bind the children to the screen.
During the event (Photo: Ministry of Education)
State Secretary at the Ministry of Education, Aleksandar Mitrovic, said that this Government's department, together with the British Council, is successfully implementing the project "Schools for the 21st Century", within which has so far distributed nearly 2.5 thousand micro-bits in 76 Montenegrin schools.
He said that it is planned to distribute a total of four thousand such computers, so that a certain number of micro-bits by 2021 will be provided in every Montenegrin elementary school.
Mitrovic emphasized that the Ministry of Education is considering a model of digitization of the education system.
Digitization, he said, does not imply the mere equipping of schools with computers, or strengthening the teaching of computer science, but the digitization of textbook content in various subjects, not in a way that the textbook is simply translated into digital form, but through animations and other digital views, to get these contents closer and better explained.
Advisor to Prime Minister Ljubo Knezevic said it was a pleasure to meet the youngest compatriots who profile their further development in the direction of innovative and creative professions.
He said that the Government had no dilemma on whether to support such a project, and that today's ceremony was only a step towards its further expansion.
Richard Everit, Regional Director of the British Council for the Education and Society Sector for Europe, pointed out that the British Council has existed and worked in the Western Balkans for 80 years. This year marks 25 years in Montenegro.
He said that much has been done in the field of education during this period, and that Montenegrin schools today are part of a large project "Schools for the 21st Century" involving six Western Balkan countries.
Everit evaluated the projects of Montenegrin students as innovative and creative.
The director of the elementary school "Njegoš", Novka Milosevic, thanked the Government for the valuable gift, assessing that the accessories and components for micro-bit computers will enhance the work of micro-bit clubs and stimulate additional creativity of students in doing the projects.
The goal of the micro-bit, as a pocket computer, is to develop critical thinking with children, through the creation of new content, or programming.
The project "Schools for the 21st Century" is part of the wider British Council's program “21st Century’s Schools”, which is worth £ 10 million, channeled by the British Government.
The project aims to have over one million students from the Western Balkan, ages 10-15, mastering critical thinking, problem-solving and coding skills.
Text by MINA News, on October 30th, 2019, read more at Vijesti
