ChemTeach: A course for secondary school teachers organized at PMF 

As a part of the Erasmus+ partner project ChemTeach, a training course for secondary school teachers is taking place at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences of the University of Banja Luka (PMF UNIBL).

A five-day event from 9 to 13 June 2025 will bring together teachers of Chemistry and related fields with the aim of improving teaching methods and strengthening international cooperation in the field of education. 

The first day of education was dedicated to the role of contemporary education, with the emphasis on a multidisciplinary approach and interdisciplinarity as the foundation of education for the future. The program was opened by Prof. Milica Balaban, PhD and Prof. Ivan Španik, PhD, from the Slovakian Technical University of Bratislava, presenting the goals and content of the course.

The participants then took part in a number of technical and inspirational lectures. Prof. Milica Balaban, PhD, held a lecture titled “Chemistry in Education: More than a formula – a time for a new role.” Prof. Sanja Partalo, PhD, spoke about the integration of STEAM approach into modern education, through the lecture “Encouraging creativity and critical thinking.” Joint lecture by Associate Professor Dino Hasanagić, PhD, and Prof. Sanja Partalo, PhD, was dedicated to improving teaching biochemistry through STEAM framework and it was titled “Multidisciplinary approach to a deeper learning.” Associate Professor Nina Sajić, PhD, talked about the significance of Chemistry in scientific diplomacy in a lecture called “Molecules of peace in the 21st century.”

In the following days of the course, a rich program has been planned, which entails: lectures dedicated to popularization of Chemistry through innovative approaches, workshops and laboratory sessions, with focus on practical work, creation of video-tutorials for teaching process, round tables with experts, as well as discussions on the role of artificial intelligence in modern teaching.

On the last day, there is a meeting of the managing board of the project, to discuss the Report on past activities and results.

The University of Banja Luka implements the ChemTeach project in cooperation with Slovakian Technical University from Bratislava-which is also the Coordinator of the project, and partner vocational schools from Bratislava and Pardubice, and three Banja Luka secondary schools – Gymnasium, Secondary nursing school, and School of technology.

The goal of the project is to strengthen the capacities of teaching staff and modernization of chemistry teaching in secondary schools. The organizers invite all interested teachers to join the course and take advantage of the opportunity for technical advancement and exchange of experiences in contemporary surroundings.