In Serbia, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development bears the overall responsibility for developing and implementing education policy.
Pursuant to Article 17 of the Law on Ministries (2020), “the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development performs activities of the state administration relating to: research, planning and development of the preschool, primary, secondary and higher education as well as student standard; supplementary education for children of Serbian nationals abroad; administrative supervision in pre-school, primary, secondary and higher education and student standard; participation in the construction, equipping and maintenance of facilities for preschool, elementary, secondary and higher education and student standard of the interest for the Republic of Serbia; expert-pedagogic supervision in pre-school, primary and secondary education and student standard; organisation, evaluation of work and supervision of the training of employees in education; validation and equivalence of public documents obtained abroad; improvement of social care for gifted students; improvement of social care for students with special needs, creating the conditions for access to and implementation of projects within the competence of the Ministry funded by the EU IPA funds, donations and other forms of development assistance, as well as other duties specified by law.”
The Ministry is regulated in the following manner and it organises the work through sectors that are responsible for certain levels and aspects of education:
- Department for Preschool and Primary Education;
- Department for Secondary Education and Adult Education;
- Department for International Cooperation and European Integrations;
- Department for Higher Education;
- Department for Students’ Standards and Investments;
- Department for Digitalisation in Education and Science
- Department for Dual Education
- Department for Inspection Issues
- Department for Finances;
- Department for Science;
- Department for Technological Development, Transfer of Technologies and Innovation System
Also, there are four relevant operative units:
-Department for Legal Issues
-Department for Human and Minority Rights in Education
-Department for Coordination of District School Authorities
-Group for Internal Revision
The National Education Council and the Council for Vocational and Adult Education, appointed by the Parliament and by the Government, respectively, provide support to the promotion and development of education. These bodies are of national importance and they design, monitor and coordinate the development of education and training, as well as monitor and coordinate the interests and needs of all social partners.
In accordance with the Law on Higher Education, the National Council for Higher Education is responsible for ensuring the development and promotion of the quality of higher education.
The Institute for Education Quality and Evaluation is a body established by the government with the aim of evaluation of education and providing recommendations for the provision of the system of quality education. Key activities of the Institute are defining standards in education, evaluation of education, training participants in the education system.
The Institute for Improvement of Education is a body established by the Republic of Serbia with the aim of monitoring, ensuring and improving the quality and development of the educational system, for the purposes of performing development, advisory, research and other expert activities in the area of preschool, primary and secondary education.
The Commission for Accreditation and Quality Assurance is in charge of ensuring the quality of higher education. Its aim is to contribute to maintaining and improvement of the quality of higher education as well as the compliance of the education system with internationally recognised standards.