State Secretary at the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, Tatjana Matić, ceremonially marked the start of the IT Caravan project in Novi Pazar.

“IT Caravan introduces you to all the good and bad things that can happen to you online. You already have digital skills and are able to use new technologies and the internet. We are merely here to show you how to do it in a smart and safe way”, said the State Secretary to the pupils of the “Bratstvo” Primary School.

The ceremony was attended by the Mayor of Novi Pazar, Dr Meho Mahmutović, noting the significance of the promotion of the safe use of the internet within educational programmes such as the IT Caravan. He congratulated the pupils on the 555th birthday of Novi Pazar.

The Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications initiated an educational project in schools and towns across Serbia entitled IT Caravan, as one of the programmes for the stimulation of the development of information society.

The IT Caravan started its visits to schools and towns across Serbia in Novi Pazar, the city with the highest percentage of youth aged 10 to 19 years compared to the number of citizens. During the first week, the Caravan will continue its journey towards Leskovac, where on Thursday, 21 April, a presentation will be held for the pupils of the “Svetozar Marković” Primary School, while on Friday, 22 April, it will reach the “Vuk Karadžić” Primary School in Vranje.

By the end of the school year, on 3 June, the IT Caravan will also have visited the towns: Kruševac, Kraljevo, Jagodina, Požarevac, Smederevo, Vršac, Zrenjanin, Kikinda, Subotica, Sremska Mitrovica, Šabac and Loznica.

These towns will serve as venues to present programmes by the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications in the field of the development of information society, with educational programmes to be organized in primary schools for students of higher grades regarding the risks of the use of the internet and social networks, as well as the potential uses of ICT for making learning easier and more interesting.

The partners of the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications within the IT Caravan programme implemented in schools are the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development and Microsoft, while the authors of the content of the interactive and dynamic presentation are teachers Katarina Veljković and Velimir Radlovački.

The presentation also uses parts of Telenor’s promotional projects aimed at preventing digital violence among children. The programme is presented to the pupils by teachers from the Ministry of Education and Microsoft representatives, with the moderator being actor and children’s animator Osman Ahmed. The first presentation was held by Professor Marina Panić.

The IT Caravan is the bearer of the programme SMART&SAFE of the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, promoting the advantages of the use of the internet and new technologies in education, business and communication, but also warning of the dangers hidden in its improper an undirected use.