Quality Education
Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
Being aware of the fact that education is the main pillar of development for every country, and that young people are our future, NIS Company allocated a record annual amount of RSD 144.5 million in 2023, to support projects in the fields of science and education within the jubilee 15th cycle of the “Common Cause Community” program. Thus, within the cycle implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Science, Technological Development, and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia, NIS selected 54 projects through a public competition for support. The aim is to enhance the teaching process and infrastructure of primary and secondary schools, as well as to develop research and innovation capacities and infrastructure within scientific research organisations and science and technology parks in cities and municipalities covered by the Program. The projects will be implemented in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš, Čačak, Kikinda, Pančevo, Zrenjanin, Požarevac, Kanjiža, Srbobran, Novi Bečej, Žitište, and Veliko Gradište. Their implementation will contribute to many students across Serbia in receiving education aligned with modern learning models, and will provide scientists with better conditions to achieve their full scientific potential.
Within its Energy of Knowledge programme, NIS continued in 2023 to cooperate with scientific and educational institutions in the country and abroad, and also to provide scholarships to the best students in accordance with the HR needs of the company and the market in general. By implementing the programme activities for over a decade, there has been encouragement for positive identification with successful young individuals, the creation of a proper value system, and the achievement of a positive impact on the overall culture of education and work within the broader societal community.
In 2023, four new scholarships were awarded to students studying in the Russian Federation, as well as five scholarships awarded through the Fund for Gifted Students at the University of Novi Sad. Providing scholarships to students from different parts of the country contributes to reducing inequality in access to education. It provides equal opportunities for education to young and talented individuals from less developed regions or disadvantaged families. During 2023, four scholarship recipients who studied in the Russian Federation graduated and subsequently began employment with the company. By employing students after they graduate, in addition to benefiting the company, the unemployment rate in the community is also reduced.
Last year, a meeting was held at the Palace of Serbia involving the Minister of Education of the Republic of Serbia, former scholarship recipients of the “Energy of Knowledge” program, and the CEO of NIS. In addition to presenting the results of NIS’s long-term investment in youth, education, and science in Serbia, the joint achievements within the cooperation between NIS and the Ministry of Education were also summarized at this meeting. Furthermore, potential future investment directions were defined.
During 2023, NIS signed two new memoranda of cooperation with higher education institutions that are of interest to the company’s operations: the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade and the Faculty of Technical Sciences in Novi Sad.
Since 2012, NIS has supported through Energy of Knowledge Programme, the adaptation of more than 65 classrooms and laboratories in schools and colleges throughout Serbia. During 2023, donor support was implemented for the renovation and adaptation of Russian language classrooms in three schools in Serbia: to the Philological Grammar School, to the primary schools “Triva Vitasović Lebarnik” in Laćarak and “Branko Radičević” in Maradik, as well as the physics classroom at the Electrical Engineering School “Nikola Tesla” in Belgrade. Additionally, two renovated Russian language classrooms were ceremonially opened at the Karlovci Grammar School. By continuously renovating and equipping classrooms with modern teaching resources, the infrastructure of education improves, creating better conditions for learning and work for both students and teaching staff. This overall contributes to enhancing the quality of education in the community.
During the past year, the implementation of guest lectures by company employees continued, with a total of 25 lectures delivered to students at partner faculties in Serbia and Banja Luka. Other than that, three of NIS engineers have continued the practice of lecturers at professional courses in the study programme “Industrial Engineering in Oil and Gas Exploitation” at the Technical Faculty “Mihajlo Pupin” in Zrenjanin. This type of interaction with the industry professionals provides students with practical experience and a better understanding of their future career advancement opportunities.
Internships were organised for scholarship recipients of the program, ranging from one to two months in duration. Additionally, visits were arranged for pupils, professors, and students from partner faculties and high schools to visit the company.
For the first time, the manifestation “May – the Month of Mathematics”, intended for children of primary and secondary school age was supported. A donation was made to enhance the quality of education in the field of “Industrial Engineering in Oil and Gas Exploitation” at the Technical Faculty “Mihajlo Pupin” in Zrenjanin.
Since the support to competitions encourages academic excellence and motivates young people to engage and develop in the fields of science, NIS traditionally provides support to domestic and international Knowledge Olympiads in mathematics, physics, and chemistry. The company has earned 12 medals at international competitions held in Japan and Switzerland. Additionally, NIS hosts an Olympiad in Russian language, with over 140 participants reaching the final. The Society of Mathematicians of Serbia and the Serbian Chemical Society awarded NIS a commendation for its longstanding support and collaboration achieved through the “Energy of Knowledge” program.
