Portal My High School - Observatory of Public Sector Innovation

My High School Portal is dedicated to all services related to completing primary education and enrollment in secondary education. It enables parents to perform all activities paperless online, while previously they had to go to 7 different places. This year, it provided electronic service for 67,000 pupils and parents, who completed all essential steps of the final examination from primary education, applying for enrolment tests, accessing results and performing enrolment, entirely online.

Innovation Summary

Innovation Overview

My High School is a portal that provides digitalization of all the procedures (other than the examinations taken in schools) related to graduation from primary education and enrolment in high school. On the My High School Portal, the users (pupils and their parents) can check all the recorded data on individual pupils, and find complete statistical data on elementary and high school, as well as other information that can be helpful for adequate choice of future education. On a daily level, the following of the main current events is enabled in accordance with the Calendar of enrolment activities, which is also available on this Portal.

The Portal, in accordance with the privacy policy, comprises/enables:

Relevant regulations and instructions,
Information on primary schools (public and private),
Information on high schools (public and private),
Information on schools’ principals,
Information on primary schools pupils,
Generating data on pupils’ results (points based on success achieved in PS, points from the FE, points from the entry examination, points earned in competitions, the total number of points for enrolment),
Information on educational profiles per individual fields of work, based on the Call for Enrolment of pupils in high schools passed by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development for each school year,
Information on entry exams for specialized educational profiles in compliance with the defined Call for Enrolment of pupils in high schools,
Information on entry exams and tests taken in high schools, i.e. on the sites where tests are organized,
Submission of applications for taking entry exams for specialized educational profiles in certain schools that can be submitted by the parents,
Application for taking entry exams,
Data on the number of pupils who have taken the final exam, and/or the entry exams, as well as on the results achieved (preliminary and final),
The option to inspect the test for final exams, to submit objections to the first instance and second instance commissions and to get the replies from this commission,
Managing the process of entry examinations according to the location in which the examination is taken,
Generating report on preliminary and final results of the final and entry examinations,
Submission of the wish lists for enrolment in high school by the parents,
Automatic allocation of students and creation of relevant ranking lists for each educational profile for which enrolment is envisaged in the Call,
Submission of applications for enrolment in high school,
Downloading of digitally signed documents by the MESTD, which are of relevance for enrolment in SS.

My High School Portal is intended for all the pupils at the end of primary education who are enrolling in high school (approximately 67,000 pupils) and their parents, schools (1,817 schools in the system records, 1,266 of which are elementary, 62 elementary and secondary, and 489 secondary), as well as to the authorities in the field of education on the local and central levels. It also enables decisions and educational policies based on data on pupils’ success, process and coverage in transition between two education levels, which are its integral parts.

This innovation is part of the Digital Agenda of the Republic of Serbia and is an integral part of the services available on eGovernment Portal (https://euprava.gov.rs/). Services available on this Portal are classified according to various criteria, but the majority of the users fall in the category of Family/Family life. It offers a wide range of options for faster acquiring of all the necessary certificates and other documents required for family life and family members, from the child’s birth and acquiring of the birth certificate, enrolment in preschool institutions, primary and secondary education, finding employment, to retirement. All the partnerships in the digitalization process of public administration and services provided to citizens are initiated by the RS Government.

Innovation Description

What Makes Your Project Innovative?

All the important pieces of information and access to digital services related to the final exam and pupils’ enrolment at high school have been provided in one place. Inspection of the test and submission of objections can be made electronically. The option to electronically submit and correct the wish lists for enrolment, instead of going to school to submit the wish list in paper form, is available. Enrolment to high school without the need to go to the school or to prior obtain the necessary documentation in paper form is operational. This links the databases of many different authorities (local self-government units, Ministry of Health – local healthcare centres, achieved success and the results in the final exam – primary schools, high schools, entry exams for talented pupils – specialized high school).

What is the current status of your innovation?

The My High School Portal is available to all users during the year and is a quality source of information for enrolment at high school. Each year, users’ satisfaction is evaluated. According to the latest survey, participation among principals is 895 (70% of the total population of principals) and 7,970 parents of the 8th grade pupils (12.5% of the parent population). A Google questionnaire was used and then the results analysed – the report was used for the improvement of Portal functions. Of the maximum grade of 10, the average grade for Portal design by the school principals was 8.82; for the ease of use 8.61, and for the instruction for use of the Portal was 8.99. Parents’ grades: for Portal design 9.01; ease of use 9.04, and instruction for use 8.99.
In addition to the option to assess the offered statements, users had the option to make proposals and comments, which was an additional contribution to qualitative assessment and support for improvements of Portal services.

Innovation Development

Collaborations & Partnerships

The Portal is the result of cooperation between the MESTD and the Office for IT & eGovernment, roles are defined in the Cooperation Agreement. For the needs of the MESTD, the Office for IT and eGovernment has developed and implemented software, provided infrastructure, resources, technical support, including the prescribed protection measures, data security and safety; monitored the realization and maintained the system in the Data Centre space in compliance with applicable technical regulations.

Users, Stakeholders & Beneficiaries

My High School Portal comprises of the administration portal and the publicly accessible portal. The administration portal is intended for the principals of the elementary and high school, authorized persons and representatives of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development. The publicly accessible portal is intended for pupils and their parents, and certain types of data are made available for all other interested persons.

Innovation Reflections

Results, Outcomes & Impacts

The main results of the My High School Portal are:

Information provided to pupils and parents, in particular about the current offer in secondary education (schools, educational profiles, capacities, etc.);
Facilitated procedure of final exam and enrolment process for pupils and parents;
Digital monitoring and implementation of the final exam and entry exams and enrolment in high school;
Efficient, secure and transparent management of the process;
An overview of the pupils’ results (their achievements during schooling, entry exams).
For enrolment in the school year of 2022/2023, on the administration portal My High School, the basic data is recorded for 1,817 schools and the basic data on 66,076 pupils of the final grade of elementary schooling is recorded. Through public Portal, 7,993 applications submitted by parents are recorded for taking entry exams. 58,873 wish lists for enrolment are submitted and 12,831 applications are submitted and used for pupils’ enrolment.

Challenges and Failures

Since 2020, when My High School Portal was launched, the system has continuously been improved (improved efficiency of operation, introduction of new functionalities, etc.). Based on the results of user satisfaction survey after the first cycle of operation, the existing processes have been improved and new ones have been introduced to the system. In the previous period, the eClass Register (the software solution for keeping records of the pupils and their achieved results in electronic form by the schools), eExam (the system for reviewing tests electronically) and eEnrollment (submission of applications for enrolment electronically) have been implemented in the educational system. Integration of these systems with the system has contributed to the realisation of planned functionalities for successful implementation and realization of activities related to final exam and enrolment of the pupils.

Conditions for Success

The presumption of successful implementation of the My High School Portal was based on its integration with the existing systems - eClass Registry, eExam, eEnrollments, successful coordination of all the activities and those realizing them, establishing of modern ICT infrastructure, training for a large number of users, compliance with legislation and scheduling of the activities. Office for IT & eGovernment enables integration of the system with the single sign-on system, (available on https://eid.gov.rs/). MESTD’s role in organization and implementation of activities relating to final exam and enrolment is to determine the relevant legal frameworks, procedures and calendar of activities, appointment of working bodies tasked with the implementation of all the activities - entry and FE, enrolment at secondary school. In the last two and a half years, approximately RSD 56 million was earmarked in the Government budget for preparation, implementation, infrastructure and maintenance.

Replication

In the future, upon relevant expansions of its functionalities, the Portal could be used for monitoring and management of the graduation process at the end of secondary schooling, as well as for enrolment at institutions of higher education.

Lessons Learned

Increased transparency of the process of final exams taken by the pupils at the end of elementary schooling and their enrolment at high school was achieved thanks to the innovation. The experience which is significant, and can contribute to improvements in other educational systems, is the most important in respect of the application's provision of an efficient method that enables the reduction of administrative and other procedures in the process of final exam taking and enrolment at high school for the pupils and their parents.

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