Countries across Southeast Europe are increasingly putting attention to the modernization of their education systems, and this trend has escalated not only due to the labour market pressures but also with the urgent transition to online learning triggered by the covid-19 outbreak. Difficulties faced often arise as a result of inadequate policy design, lack of alignment with labour policies, little capacity to put policy evaluation procedures into practice, or deficient use of ex-ante analysis and/or collected results. This online course will provide insights into experiences from the various SEE countries and beyond on how monitoring and evaluation of education policies can be embedded within the existing policy-making frameworks to improve the quality, equity and efficiency of education.

At this online course we will put special attention to discussing observed reform trends, approaches to their sequencing and costing, as well as to the progress of their implementation. We will analyze strengths and weaknesses of different approaches, provide practical examples and recommendations including how results orientation should be incorporated into policy and practice.

The role of labour market information in guiding educational and occupational choices is of inevitable importance, however often this information is not easily accessible. Therefore, this online course will also address the challenges in streamlining education options in alignment with labour market demands. Information regarding the current situation and trends in the labour market is essential for college major choice, as well as for policy design. The more information decision-makers have, the lower is the probability of mismatch between supply and demand. This online course will also look into the steps taken, data sources used and challenges met during the process of such analysis of the Slovenian labour market.  

Without a doubt, the pandemic of Covid-19 virus is having a large influence on functioning of the existing education systems. It did not allow much time for preparation, but instead it has caused a need for an urgent response. A speed in the implementation of measures is key, but evidence of what may work is limited, and constraints on resources and capacity are binding. As countries explore ways forward to reopen schools and design new models of education that expand the borders of the physical schools through extended utilization of technology. At this online course you will also have the opportunity to hear about steps taken and challenges faced in ‘digitalization’ of education, as well as to discuss strategy options for achieving desired quality and accessibility of education.   

Carrying out reforms in education sector can be particularly challenging given the potential extent of their impact, and the complexity of stakeholders involved (ministries of education, labour, and finance, labour unions, employers, schools, etc.). At this online course we will discuss prospects for incentivizing interinstitutional coordination and cooperation in exchange of financial and non-financial data in policy making procedure as a way towards building ‘evaluation culture’ in public institutions. We will also hear about possible negotiation strategies that could support getting to an agreement between stakeholders, reconciling opposite interests, communicating reforms to the public, etc.  

Since this online course will be designed as partaking, the participants will be actively engaged in discussions and encouraged to share their country’s experiences and challenges encountered.