The initiative „Digitalna Srbija“ has announced that, as of today, all three mobile operators who are members of this non-profit organization will provide their users with access to the petlja.org programming learning portal without charging for internet traffic consumed. In this way, and in exceptional circumstances, Telekom Srbija, Telenor, and Vip mobile continue to jointly support the advancement of algorithmic literacy as one of the cornerstones of a strong digital economy whose development is the strategic goal of the initiative „Digitalna Srbija“.
The members of „Digitalna Srbija“ have been supporting the activities of the ,,Foundation Petlja“ since its inception, as this organization brought together expert engineers and educators to provide unique materials for children from all over Serbia to make their first programming steps for three years.
“More than half of all socially responsible activities of Telekom Srbija are related to education. Unfortunately, situations similar to those in which the entire world is today, including our society, are sometimes a test of maturity for different social segments. It seems to us that this time we have denied the dominant public perception, and showed that much has been done with regard to digitization in Serbia and that we, as a society, are well on our way to getting our digital literacy to an enviable level. Telekom Serbia is a strong company that has the potential to support and initiate positive changes in the company on its own or with its partners. That is why it is important that we introduce our youngest fellow citizens to an environment that will be part of their contemporary business process in a timely manner, and Petlja does exactly that, ” said Predrag Ćulibrk, CEO of Telekom Srbija.
After RTS3 television a few weeks ago started broadcasting Petlja’s classes of computer science and computer science to more than 200,000 students, the Digitalna Srbija Initiative and Petlja Foundation will also launch Net. Cabinet by the end of April, an online platform that will enable regular curriculum monitoring. With two-way communication of students with their teachers and their class. In this context, the decision of all three operators to jointly support Petlja through Digitalna Srbija will make distance education free of charge – in the true sense of the word.
One of the founders of Digitalna Srbija is the Telenor company, which is strongly committed to innovation in education and has already cooperated with the Petlja Foundation to establish modern programs for teaching computer science and computer science in schools. “Telenor has been a supporter of the Digitalna Srbija Initiative, which is one of its founders, where education and digital literacy are the focus of its work and operations. This is the basis for change in society and the economy that we all stand for in the initiative and therefore we must make education accessible to all, ”said Mike Michel, Telenor Serbia CEO.
In the coming period, the Digitalna Srbija Initiative will work with its members to enable families with children who do not have internet access to connect, on an equal footing with their peers, to a network where the most knowledge is gained today.
“In today’s society, almost all activities rely on technology, and programming skills and algorithmic thinking are useful in whatever job you do. This is why we believe Petlja will be much more than a platform for future developers. As a company dedicated to technological innovation, we want to contribute to making future-oriented education a standard for all. In this way, we also support teachers who play an important role in the education and upbringing of our children, and we believe that this creative environment will further contribute to the creation of new progressive generations, ” says Dejan Turk, CEO of Vip mobile.
In addition to these three companies, ,,Digitalna Srbija“ is a member of more than 30 organizations and companies from a wide variety of industries – from the software and video game industries, through banking and telecommunications, to agriculture, pharmacy and the media. “Our member’s commitment to a shared vision of Serbia in which all citizens have access to advanced, modern education has greatly helped us today to have compulsory curriculum in programming from the fifth grade, specialized IT departments across the country and Master 4.0 programs at three state universities. Today, during the pandemic, the camaraderie that prevails among our members is stronger than ever, as demonstrated by this support for Petlja Foundation, ” said Nebojša Djurdjević, General Manager of the Digitalna Srbija Initiative.
