The European Investment Bank (EIB) announced today that it has invested 65 million euros in the modernization of primary and secondary schools in Serbia for the introduction of digital equipment and high-speed internet connection, as well as capacity building for the training of 50,000 teachers.
In line with Serbia’s national education strategy, the European Union Bank’s investment will improve the digital capacity of schools and contribute to economic growth, productivity, innovation and youth employment.
Classrooms across Serbia will receive modern computer equipment and wireless internet, and 50,000 teachers will be trained to acquire digital skills.
The project is expected to create up to 700 new jobs.
This investment is part of the EIB’s Initiative for Strengthening Economic Resilience, which will ensure equal access to digital education for all students in Serbia.
This will give young people from both urban and rural areas equal opportunities to acquire digital skills that will increase their competitiveness in the labor market in the future.
Ljiljana Pavlova, responsible for EIB activities in Serbia, pointed out that modern, efficient education and digital literacy open new opportunities for young people and increase their chances for employment.
Digitalized schools are far more efficient during crisis situations such as the Kovid-19 pandemic. As an EU bank, we want to contribute to greater resilience of Serbia in order for it to function successfully even in the most difficult times, Pavlova emphasized, it is added in the announcement.
The Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications of Serbia, Tatjana Matic, estimated that the EIB investment will have a positive effect on all schools in Serbia.
By procuring digital equipment, the Ministry of Education has provided the basic infrastructure for the development of digitized teaching processes. The procurement of modern IT equipment and high-speed Internet, as well as the improvement of teachers’ digital skills, will contribute to digital education, which is an important pillar of a modern, sustainable and strong society, especially in crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic, Matic said.
The head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, Sam Fabrizi, emphasized that the pandemic imposed on the whole world the need to digitalize.
This significant investment of the EIB in the digital teaching infrastructure and competencies of teachers throughout Serbia comes at a turning point for the modernization of the Serbian educational system, he pointed out.
It is an integral part of the EU’s overall efforts to develop Serbia’s education system. With the help of more than 100 million euros that have been invested so far, European gold standards and best practices have been built into the education system of Serbia, concluded Fabrizi, Danas reports.
