MINELREL-L Archive (09161999-13:25:14-26660)

Schools in B&H Federation - Parallel Curriculae


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Subject: Schools in B&H Federation - Parallel Curriculae


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AIM: Schools in B&H Federation - Parallel Curriculae



Schools in B&H Federation - Parallel Curriculae

No Class-Rooms for Returnee Children

AIM Sarajevo, 12 September, 1999

In Zepce, 311 children of Bosniac refugees did not start school -
local authorities do not approve of these children attending classes
in the existing school buildings according to the federal curriculum.
In this municipality, the main curriculum is the so-called "Croat"
one. Their parents, Bosniac returnees blocked one of the main roads -
they demand resignation of the officials in charge of education on all
levels. The Cantonal minister of education in the government of
Zenicko-Dobojski Canton, Kemal Celebic, says that such a demand for
resignation was not handed to him, and that those addressed to media
he did not recognise. To the question what his view was of the problem
of 311 children who had not started the school year and whether he
considered the possibility of resigning, he answered: "Out of 78
thousand school children, only 300 have not started the school year"
(?!) He further clarifies that municipal authorities do not permit
them to attend school according to the federal curricula and that this
is a case of violation of the Cantonal law by municipal authorities
and that if anyone should consider resigning, then there are many who
should - from the municipality to the Office of the High
Representative (OHR), which is unable to solve these problems, says
Celebic.

In Bugojno, at the same time, about 250 children enrolled in the First
Elementary School, who are mostly children of Croat returnees, attend
school in a small room of the vestry of St. Ante Church. The children
sit "on top of each other" under a low roof supported by bare beams,
with two or three grades in different corners of the room. Teachers
make a time-table according to which different grades will use the
"classroom". Only thanks to the good will of the local parish priest
they were given a hall which they are now dividing and making two real
classrooms: "At this moment we need at least eight classrooms, and in
the existing schools in Bugojno there is plenty of extra room", says
school director Stipe Saric. Local authorities in this region
(coalition of the Party of Democratic Action) do not see fit to
provide classrooms for this school in the existing school buildings
although the Office of High Representative (OHR) explicitly demanded
it. Their stand is that this is introduction of ethnic classes and
that they will not permit it. Federal minister of education Fahrudin
Rizvanbegovic says about this specific case that there is not 250 or
more children but only (!?) 58 of them and that people often
manipulate figures.
 
Similar problems in the beginning of the school year appeared in
Stolac, Capljina, Vares. Classes take place in churhes, cafes,
cellars, private homes: "In 18 schools there are demands for parallel
curricula", says Rizvanbegovic. He believes that the only solution is
in common curriculae. His "partner" in the ministry, deputy minister
Josip Musa, says that the Croats in B&H will never agree to common
curricula because that would mean unitarisation, imposing togetherness
by measure of one of the ethnic groups, and this, he says in Hrvatska
rijec: "The Croats have already tasted in former Yugoslavia through
persecution, dungeons..." While Rizvanbegovic claims that his
colleague Musa does not seriously mean to accept working on the
drafted common curricula, the job which 98 experts from whole of B&H
Federation are said to be engaged on, deputy minister says that
representatives of Bosnian Croats did not participate in drafting of
the curricula, and that there is nothing in them that would indicate
to the Croats that they are subjects and that they are equal in B&H.
Rizvanbegovic answers by giving the list of names of those who drafted
the curricula: Vera Kac, Marija Vlasic, Franjo Lujnovic, Boskica
Visic, Vlado Puljic, Ilija Rozic, Katica Cerkez, Vladimir Vego,
Miljenko Milos, Jago Musa and others.

To the question whether he is considering the possibility of resigning
if he does not manage to resolve these problems - find arguments to
convince federal partners or make them reach a compromise - federal
minister answers by a counter-question: "Do you think that this a
problem of the ministry of education? It is a political problem of the
first order, and not a problem that should be resolved by experts.

This is a topic for the Forum of the Federation". His deputy Musa
probably does not think about submitting his resignation either - for
days now he is running from one meeting to the other and he has no
time even for media. President of B&H Federation Ivo Andric Luzanski
and vice-president Ejup Ganic are unable to reach an agreement, they
have no time for media either. Only an advisor of Andric Luzanski says
that he believes that these are not big problems and that the
president is not contemplating resignation either.

At this moment top priority should be given to reaching an agreement
and finding classrooms for the pupils. But Rizvanbegovic says: "Last
year they also attended school in unnatural conditions and there is no
other solution but commom curricula". Asked whether there is space in
the existing schools for those who would attend school working
according to different curricula, he answers: "Yes, but if that were
not manipulated!".

About the fact that children do not go school nobody seems to be
worried. The experience of teachers with children of returnees shows
that especially those in upper grades of elementary school have
difficulties during the period of adaptation which follows after
change of curricula. Problems also arise when they miss a part of the
teaching which will happen to those who will begin the school year
with a delay - they will have to attend supplementary classes which is
also an additiona burden for them. Psychologists warn against danger
which arises due to attending school in unnatuiral conditions and
remind of the experience of Sarajevo in war conditions when the
children went to schools which were located in cellars or some other
improvised space.

At the same time it is hard to understand why mathematics, foreign
languages, chemistry, biology or other subject which do not belong in
the group of ethnic subjects cannot have a common curriculum, and why
the question of ethnic ones, such as mother tongue or religion cannot
be resolved by some kind of a compromise - with the status of an
optional subject, for instance. After all, there are numerous examples
that this is possible - the Catholic School Centre in Sarajevo,
schools in Konjic and another few places.
 
In OHR they say that their ideal is a common curriculum for the whole
state, and until this is achieved it is necessary to respect the wish
of returnee parents. Indeed, along with employment and a roof above
their heads, as a condition for endurable return, they mention ethnic
curricula. Pragmatic individuals in the school system, in both ethnic
camps say that for the wise men in the ministry the most important
objective should be - the shortest and the cheapest possible way to
textbooks for all the children in B&H - the same textbooks but in
three linguistic variants.

And while return of "everybody to their own" is increasingly insisted
on, the minister of education in the government of the Republic of
Srpska, Nenad Suzic, announces: "As long as I am the minister, there
will be no commom curricula". This could mean that returnee children
in B&H, especially nowadays when return from RS to B&H Federation and
vice versa is intensified, will still have to face numerous problems.
Will B&H, apart from being one of the poorest, be also one of the most
illiterate countries in Europe or is this too perhaps in the interest
of the state?

#Rubina CENGIC

(AIM Sarajevo)

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