The Weaponisation of Schooling in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Key Highlights :
Education is often presented as the ultimate force for good in the world, and there is no doubt that it can be a powerful tool for peace, progress and reconciliation. However, it can also be used to push people further apart, which is the case in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Education writer James McEnaney provides an overview of some of the pressing educational problems in the country.
The country is divided into two parts: the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) and Republika Srpska (RS). In addition to this, a self-governing zone called the Brčko District divides RS into two distinct parts. FBiH is mostly Bosniak and Croat, while RS is mostly Serb. In FBiH, individual regions known as cantons control most education policy, while in RS decision-making is more centralised.
One example of how education is being used to push people further apart is the system known as ‘two schools under one roof’. Developed in the aftermath of the war, this shared-campus model was supposed to give some young people an appropriate place to go to school, but the reality has been something else entirely. Although such institutions represent a minority of schools across the country as a whole, they are emblematic of the enormous educational challenge facing Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The ‘two schools under one roof’ system results in education that is segregated along ethnic lines. In some cases pupils use different entrances to the same building, and remain physically divided once inside, while in others they occupy different buildings within the same larger campus area. In some of the most extreme examples, children attend school in separate shifts. Many of these supposedly shared schools have completely distinct teaching staff, and according to a 2018 report, only a tiny minority organise joint curricular or extra-curricular activities.
This segregation has a serious impact on reconciliation and stability, engraining ethnic divisions and mutual suspicion by teaching children “that there is something different about their peers.” It also harms the quality of teaching and learning in classrooms. The ‘two schools under one roof’ system diverts money that could otherwise be spent on teacher training programmes, enhanced classroom materials or expanded extra-curricular activities. What’s more, barriers to integration undermine attempts at teacher collaboration, which is one of the most powerful tools for improving young people’s educational experiences.
The history curriculum is also an issue. In a recent report for the OSCE, Dr Heike Karge called for “a fundamental change in the approach to teaching the subject of history in BiH, especially in relation to the period 1992-1995”. Although BiH has an overall national framework both for textbook content and student learning outcomes, history is one of the subjects that is also taught differently in each of the country’s three recognised languages (Bosnian, Croat and Serbian). Dr Karge found that current materials typically provide three separate and “mutually exclusive narratives” about the conflict.
The OSCE also makes specific reference to teaching about the genocide at Srebrenica. This is especially problematic in Republika Srpska, where the President, Milorad Dodik, has rejected the use of materials teaching that “the Serbs have committed genocide and kept Sarajevo under siege.” This even applies to schools catering for Bosniak children and means that some descendants of the victims face the denial of their own history as a formal part of their schooling.
The weaponisation of schooling in Bosnia and Herzegovina is a serious concern, as it undermines attempts at reconciliation and peace. The ‘two schools under one roof’ system and the history curriculum are both examples of how education is being used to push people further apart, rather than bring them together. If true peace is to be achieved, then steps must be taken to address these issues and ensure that education is used as a force for good in the country.
