The Chairperson of the Committee on Education, Science, Technological Development, MA Aleksandra Jerkov, highlighted the significance of the public hearing in light of the importance of the law on textbooks and the Committee members’ great interest in the content of the draft law.

In introductory speech, Minister of Education, Science and Technological Development Dr Srdjan Verbic said that the new law on textbooks would improve the quality and accessibility of textbooks. The accessibility part relates to the price of textbooks and whether they are user-friendly for students with disabilities and developmental problems, as well as the availability of textbooks in national minority languages. The new law should also address the problem of intransparency as regards the authorisation of textbooks and corruption in their procurement and distribution, stressed Minister Verbic.

Ministerial assistant for development and education at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development Prof. Dr Zorana Luzanin spoke in more detail about the availability and possibility to choose textbooks and teaching aids. Coordinator of the Association of Vocational High Schools Milan Vukobrat spoke of teaching aids as training tools for the job market, while the Director of the Institute for Improvement of Education and Upbringing Zoran Avramovic spoke of the authorisation of textbooks and teaching aids.

The public hearing was attended by MPs, representatives of the AP Vojvodina secretariat, National Education Council, national minority councils, Institute for Textbooks, schools and parent boards, Union of the Blind and publishers’ associations. They discussed the quality of the provisions contained in the draft law and suggested possible improvements.