An Effective Use of Information and Communication Technology in Education Systems of Countries in South-East Europe

The use of technology in schools in reasonably large scale began in many developed countries earnest in the 1980s and in the 1990s. Commercial usage of the Internet and fast development of Information Technology helped convince governments of these countries that the time was right to make large investments in ICTs. In most middle and low developed countries, this process started a little later, and have (until recently) proceeded more slowly. As a result, in the last ten years, education systems began to adopt the use of ICT policies in significant amounts (or are planning to do so). On the other hand, Programs and Curricula from the fields of Information & Communication Technology (ICT), which are the research focus of this paper, have to be updated very frequently as a result of fast development in the last 10 years. The first author of this paper used his experience and knowledge of different Educations Systems situation in SEE Countries, as he was the Member of The Kosovo State Council for Curriculum (KSCC), from 2009 to 2013. The existing structure of the education system of SEE countries need to be supported with the necessary ICT equipment and Software, which will engage the students in the Society of Knowledge. This is also the case for the training and qualifications of teachers, although there are individual cases involving ICT in teacher training programs. Through this paper, which propose the new concept of the education system, the conclusion recognizes the need to introduce ICT and EU standards. Management Systems in the field of education of SEE countries are mostly outdated and inadequate and does not use the possibilities offered by ICT. Hence there is a need to introduce ICT in the management system and the system that ensures the quality of the education system. This research paper investigates the importance of ICT and the impact on: curriculum development and implementation, Student/Learner-centered teaching/learning, Competency-based approaches, Integrated teaching and learning, Flexibility and mobility, Transparency and accountability. Finally, the research shows that the ICT and e-learning literacy of teachers needs to change and academics need to embrace new technology since SEE countries are now reconnected to the most recent developments in science, technology and culture. The methodology of the research is focused on the comparative model of this issue, between the models in EU and South-East European Countries (SEE). The main conclusions and recommendations will be useful to be implemented within Educational Systems of SEE countries, and as an impact, the contribution of the paper will be shown as a possible model of Education System supported be ICT in the countries of SEE