A meeting was held at the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation with representatives of the Ministry, the Bureau for Education Services and the Montenegrin Olympic Committee, dedicated to the further implementation of the OVEP – Olympic Values Education Programme in primary schools in Montenegro.
The meeting was attended by the Director of the Bureau for Education Services, Raba Hodžić, Senior Adviser I at the Bureau for Education Services, Nebojša Rakočević, and the Director of the Directorate at the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation, Dragan Mijušković, while the Montenegrin Olympic Committee was represented by Maja Peković and Adrijana Husić.
During the meeting, discussions focused on the importance of introducing the OVEP programme, the model of its implementation through a pilot phase, as well as the next steps aimed at its introduction in schools.
OVEP is an educational programme of the International Olympic Committee that uses sport and Olympism as tools for the development of values and life skills in children, rather than as additional sports content. The programme is focused on the holistic development of the individual, rather than on competition or elite sport.
The programme is based on three key Olympic values:
- excellence, which implies effort, perseverance and giving one’s best;
- respect, which includes respect for oneself, others, rules and diversity;
- friendship, which promotes cooperation, solidarity and inclusion.
During the meeting, it was particularly emphasised that OVEP does not represent a new school subject and does not place an additional burden on the existing curriculum, but is naturally integrated into existing subjects and cross-curricular themes, primarily physical education, as well as elective subjects such as Sport for Athletes and Healthy Lifestyles. The implementation of OVEP teaching in the pilot phase is planned through the open part of existing subject programmes.
The programme has already received a positive opinion from the Bureau for Education Services, as well as the approval of the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation for implementation in primary schools, taking into account that it:
- improves existing curriculum,
- aligns with contemporary education policies of the European Union,
- contributes to the development of socio-emotional and life skills among pupils,
- uses modern, interactive and inclusive teaching methods.
The participants of the meeting agreed that OVEP is particularly important at the present moment, as it directly addresses the challenges that schools face today, including reduced physical activity among children, behavioural issues, occurrences of violence and intolerance, as well as the need for the systematic development of socio-emotional skills among pupils. The programme places emphasis on experiential learning, using sport and movement as pedagogical tools for the development of positive behavioural patterns and values.
It was agreed that, following the identification of schools and teachers who will participate in the pilot phase, the preparation of teaching staff will begin.
It is planned that by the end of the current school year, two targeted training sessions for teachers will be organised, in order to ensure that they are fully prepared for the start of programme implementation in September, at the beginning of the next school year.
During the meeting, particular emphasis was placed on the openness of the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation and the Bureau for Education Services to innovative and modern educational approaches, as well as the readiness of institutions to, through cooperation with the Montenegrin Olympic Committee, support programmes that contribute to the holistic development of children and the improvement of the quality of education in Montenegro.
