Educators and psychologists in schools are looking for a better position: After May 3, resentment is greater

The active group of psychologists and pedagogues employed in primary and secondary schools in Serbia, united with the Association of Psychologists of Serbia and the Pedagogical Association of Serbia, sent requests to competent institutions and institutions to improve the quality of education and upbringing in our schools and change the position of pedagogues and psychologists in the system.

They demand an increase in the number of psychologists and pedagogues in schools, that is, that each school has one psychologist and one pedagogue, and that this number be increased depending on the specifics of the schools and the number of students.

"As someone who works at a faculty that prepares future pedagogues, but also someone who, cooperating with school pedagogues, is familiar with the difficulties and challenges they face in their daily work, I strongly support their demands aimed at improving the quality of education in Serbia, and within that, and improving the position of professional associates in schools," Vera Spasenović, a full professor at the Department of Pedagogy and Andragogy at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade and a member of the Pedagogical Society, told the "Vremena" portal Serbia.

Read more Educators suffer bullying, violence: Incompetent staff only increases

She further states that the dissatisfaction of pedagogues and psychologists with the state of school education, but also with their own position in school and society, has been present for a long period of time, with the fact that after the events of May, their resentment grew.

"The excessive expectations and pressure they feel, as well as the conditions in which they work, obviously encouraged them to raise their voices in the hope that the educational authorities will hear them and do something about it," says Spasenović.

She points out that in order to perform their role in a quality and professional manner, which is reflected in providing continuous support to students, teachers and parents, as well as in creating a stimulating environment for the learning and development of all members of the school community, they themselves need to be respected and supported, but and to be consulted when identifying problems in education and considering possible solutions, which has so far been a rare case.

Association of Psychologists of Serbia: Absolute support for the Active Psychologists and Pedagogues

The Executive Board of the Association of Psychologists of Serbia told the "Vremena" portal that it fully supports the views, explanations and demands of the Active Psychologists and Pedagogues.

"We are fully aware of how much, in the complex times we live in and which have had such an unfortunate effect on both children and schools, we as a profession are called to be one of the most important resources for preserving the well-being of our citizens and what kind of social and occasionally exposed to media pressure and often unrealistic expectations.

At the same time, our hands are often tied by incomplete and outdated regulations to react adequately and to realize all our competences that we have, while on the other hand, we are often expected to act in a way that is not part of our expertise or responsibility or is not in accordance with the code of ethics our profession, it is stated in a written statement for "Vreme".

They also state that they are aware of the fact that our psychologists in the various environments in which they work strive and sacrifice in order not to do their work at the level of excellence in not always supportive conditions that primarily result from insufficient recognition of the role and content of psychologists' work. In this sense, we recognize the initiative of Aktiva as a significant step forward in the fight for our profession, but also as a fight to make the school a better place for the upbringing and education of new generations.

Read daily news, analysis, commentary and interviews at www.vreme.com