CHEMISTRY EDUCATION IN THE BALKAN REGION: TRENDS, CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Abstract

According to the European Commission, education, science, technology, research and innovation are a prerequisite for achieving a sustainable EU economy. EU leaders have agreed to work towards a European Education Area by 2025 to take full advantage of education, training, and culture (EU, 2019). Scientific literacy takes center stage in major reforms in education and is often presented as a key goal of science education. This is due to the idea that scientific literacy could be a prerequisite for the economic survival and technological development of the society, at least if judged by the research based on correlations between large-scale international testing results and country’s economic prosperity level (Hanushek & Woessmann, 2010). Chemical literacy presents a significant constituent part of scientific literacy, given that the use of various chemicals plays a vital role in our daily lives whether we are talking about food, medicine, clothing or climate change.