Basic Andragogical Training for Prison Educators Erasmus Project

Project Title

Basic Andragogical Training for Prison Educators

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

Taking into account that significant number of employees in prisons are not professionally competent to work with the deprived population (they did not acquire adequate competencies through formal education), additional education should become compulsory, regardless of the long-standing experience these employees have.
The main objective of the project refers to development of the framework of basic andragogical training program for prison educators. It is important to carry out this project in international cooperation because of the differences in approaches to prison education in different European countries, variability of educational structures of prison educators and prisoners, different problems and ways of solutions prison education is facing across Europe, different ways in which the lifelong education is perceived and recognized as a factor of improvement of educational staff in prisons and prisoners re-socialization and reintegration. All this differences (conceptual or practical) contribute to the holistic understanding of the prison education issues and support the process of delivering universal program framework of basic andragogical training for prison educators.
Coordinator of the project Basic Andragogical Training for Prison Educators (BATPE) is Serbian Association of Andragogists (SAA) from Belgrade (Serbia). The partners on the project were institutions that expressed intensive passion, motivation, readiness, willingness, availability, great recognition of prison education issues and the space for their improvement by participating in this project. The exceptional values they brought to the project refer to their experience in the field of adult education that takes place within correctional institutions. The partners on the project are Koinè, the voluntary organization from San Felice a Cancello (Italy) and Gebze Public Education Center (GPEC) from Gebze (Turkey).
The project was realized through several phases: initial introduction of partners (the 1st Transnational meeting), preparation (content analysis of the relevant documents – policies, strategies, scientific publications, handbooks, etc.; interviews and focus groups with the representatives of treatment and education staff in prisons and relevant external educational deliverers of prison education; consultations with representatives of associate partners not formally involved in the project; brainstorming on the issues of relevancy, reaching possibilities and applicability of defined indicators and ways these indicators should be addressed through our program.), Basic Andragogical Training for Prison Educators (BATPE) curriculum and manual design (the 2nd Transnational meeting – mutual sharing of the results of previous activity; harmonization and final definition of indicators referring basic andragogical knowledge, skills and competencies that prison educators need for adequate work with adults in prisons; mutual elaboration of methods (planning, organizing, realizing, evaluating) to be incorporated into the program for basic andragogical training for prison educators, evaluation (joint correctional activities referring improvement of BATPE) and dissemination (public presentation of BATPE program/manual through mas-media; presentation of BATPE through scientific publications; presentation of BATPE on EPALE platform; introducing BATPE to governmental bodies with a view to take into consideration its incorporation in formal educational system). Related mixed joint and independent activities of all partners formally involved in the project, as well as associated partners not formally involved in the project should contribute to the most significant outputs of the project: Program for Basic Andragogical Training for Prison Educators (BATPE) and Handbook of Basic Andragogical Training for Prison Educators (BATPE).
Since we were focused exclusively on the BATPE development, the program impact referred to the raise of awareness and interests of local, national and international bodies devoted to the issues of prison education about the importance, possibilities and opportunities of permanent education of prison educators in holistic and universal manner as a means of improvement of working and living quality of prison staff and prisoners, development of prisoners competencies needed for their social reintegration and reduction of recidivism rate among ex-prisoners. This impact was made primary through dissemination activities with a special tendency to involve governmental representatives in the process of incorporation BATPE program into the systems of formal education which should ensure systematic permanent and continuous education of prison educators. These impacts were measured through the final inquiry which involved relevant persons who were provided with the BATPE curriculum and manual. Also, the self-evaluation of the project outputs and process were pursued.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 33627,5 Eur

Project Coordinator

Drustvo andragoga Srbije & Country: RS

Project Partners

• Koinè
• Gebze Halk Egitimi Merkezi