18.07.2025.
At the initiative of the Director of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption, Dejan Damnjanović, a meeting was held with the Minister of Education in the Government of the Republic of Serbia, PhD Dejan Vuk Stanković. The purpose of the meeting was to inform the Minister about the implementation of ongoing activities and projects jointly undertaken by the Agency and the Ministry, as well as to discuss future plans and initiatives.
"The Agency for Prevention of Corruption places special emphasis on raising awareness among young people about the importance of combating corruption and encouraging their active participation in this area. That is why, in 2023, we decided that the theme of the conference we traditionally organize on the occasion of International Anti-Corruption Day would be ‘Educating Youth in the Function of Preventing Corruption – The Path to Strengthening Social Integrity,’" Damnjanović stated.
The Director and the Minister discussed the Cooperation Agreement signed last year by the Agency, the Ministry, and two relevant institutes: the Institute for the Improvement of Education and the Institute for the Evaluation of the Quality of Education. The Agreement aims to raise awareness among primary and secondary school students about the importance of preventing corruption. The first activity under the Agreement is the development of a Manual for Raising Anti-Corruption Awareness, which is expected to be promoted in December 2025.
The Director also informed the Minister about the legal obligation of all public authorities, as stipulated by the Law on the Prevention of Corruption, to conduct training in the field of anti-corruption and integrity strengthening.
"Given the number of employees and institutions within the education system, this area has been recognized as a priority," said Damnjanović. He emphasized that a specialized online training course titled ‘Ethics and Integrity in the Education System’ has been developed for this purpose. Employees of educational institutions are expected to complete the course during 2026.
Minister PhD Dejan Vuk Stanković emphasized the importance of teaching young generations true values from an early age and noted that schools are a natural setting for promoting social values and raising anti-corruption awareness. "The cooperation established between the Ministry and the Agency serves as the foundation for a series of activities that will educate young people about the dangers of corruption and the mechanisms for its prevention and suppression," the Minister said.
Both the Minister and the Director agreed that cooperation between the Ministry of Education and the Agency for Prevention of Corruption is essential for building a society based on integrity, responsibility, and transparency. They underscored the need to further strengthen joint activities in order to foster a long-term culture of anti-corruption within the education system.
