In 2005 the Fund for an Open Society-Serbia launched the initiative "Inclusive Education, from Practice to Policy." The Education Support Program financially supported this initiative in 2006 and 2007. The goal is to promote better access to quality education, especially for those children and young people who are marginalized, discriminated or segregated due to their ethnic background, social deprivation, mental capabilities, disability or illness. A coalition of ten non-governmental and governmental organizations has been set up not only to promote better access to education but also to build flexible, needs-based, child-centered, measurable educational practice. The members of this coalition helped to put the issue of inclusive education on agenda of professional discussions, public debates, and media reporting.
The initiative has achieved the following results:
An Inclusive Education Network was built to serve as the change agent in the field of education. The network of 150 teachers is engaged in the exchange of experiences and good practices, horizontal learning, and providing mutual psychological and professional support. The Service for Inclusive Education Facilitation was set up in September 2007 as a horizontal and vertical advising support for teachers and parents. Thirty advisors in 10 Serbian cities provide information on inclusive education on a daily basis. In the first month they received about ten calls per city, and 23 children with special needs received support, while 10 such children have been included in mainstream education. Teachers have developed 35 individual educational plans with Service support.
The Practical Guide for Improving Inclusive Education Practice for teachers and other participants in teaching was developed. Its publication is expected by the end of 2007. The Guide will include best-practices examples and a list of criteria for the advancement of inclusive education practice which were piloted in 31 educational institutions (5 preschool and 26 primary schools). It will provide new information about the current level of inclusive practice in educational institutions.
The Network of Local Inclusive Teams was established in 10 Serbian cities with the aim to mobilize local community support for improving conditions for better access to education. Owing to the advocacy activities of the Network several events were organized, and considerable media and web presence was achieved. For example: local round tables; street events; coverage in 26 TV and radio broadcasts; newspapers pamphlets; preparation of the Declaration on Access to Education for All in one city; Strategy for Social Policy Development (1 city) and Guide for Parents in ten cities, development of Municipal Databases including the numbers of excluded children in three cities, municipal conference on Inclusive Education; and three municipal web cites updated with information about inclusive education.
As a part of the Initiative, the project "Intercultural/Multicultural Education-from Practice to Policy" was launched to address the problem of the lack of inter-cultural pedagogical practice in Serbian educational institutions. The main objective is to advance and develop quality multicultural co-existence in multi-ethnic communities through educational practice and policy, as well as to disseminate good practice in the field of intercultural/multicultural education.