Islamic Pedagogical Faculty in Bihać marks 30 years of existence

(Patria) - The Islamic Pedagogical Faculty in Bihać today marked 30 years of existence and operation with a formal ceremony.

This significant anniversary testifies to the continuity in education, upbringing, and intellectual development of staff who contribute to the religious, as well as the overall social life of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Reis-ul-ulema of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Husein-ef. Kavazović, was also present at the ceremony.

- We are pleased with this anniversary, but it also obliges us in many ways. We are glad to be able to serve Muslims and our people in what is vital and fundamental for every individual and society.

To serve the education of young generations, their preparation for life, their training for jobs from which they will live with dignity through honest work and faithfully serve their community and homeland - said Reis Kavazović.

He emphasized that the educational institutions of the Islamic Community are aware of their specific task and role, which is reflected in the care for moral and spiritual upbringing, the formation and development of man in his entirety, i.e., a being of spirit and matter.

- We must never forget this task. Our faculties and madrasas should not only offer knowledge and facts about the world and nature, offer skills and competencies, but also work dedicatedly in parallel so that students, through the process of learning and maturation, find the meaning of life, moral anchors, clarity of vision and recognition of contemporary moral and social deviations and diseases - said the Reis-ul-ulema.

The Dean of the Islamic Pedagogical Faculty, Hajrudin Hodžić, says that the institution today marked not only 30 years of existence but also the realization of an idea and the continuity of tireless work.

- Thirty years is a long period to mark an era of upbringing and education here in Bosanska Krajina. Namely, 30 years ago, a few enthusiasts launched an idea called the Islamic Pedagogical Faculty.

Today, we live that idea as a reality, something that, thank God, has been realized in everyday life, and we, as the collective of the Islamic Pedagogical Faculty, are overjoyed to have reached this day - said Dean Hodžić.

The anniversary marked today testifies to the continuity in education, upbringing, and intellectual development of staff who contribute to the religious, as well as the overall social life of Bosnia and Herzegovina, it was stated, among other things, at the formal ceremony.

- An educated person does not remain neutral. They recognize the truth and consciously commit to it. Knowledge, therefore, carries the responsibility to be transformed into action, into moral behavior and social usefulness.

It is precisely in this spirit that the existence of the Islamic Pedagogical Faculty should be viewed as a place where knowledge is not only acquired but also understood, lived, and transmitted.

Every day can be said to be historical in its own way, but the day of the founding of an institution carries special value, the value of a beginning.

Beginnings are remembered, we return to them, and we draw strength from them - said the Bihać Mufti, hafiz Mehmed-ef. Kudić.

The gathering was attended by officials of the Islamic Community, representatives of legislative and executive authorities, deans and heads of educational institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as alumni and numerous citizens.

The Rector of the University of Bihać, Fadil Islamović, reminded that this faculty forms the backbone of the University.

- After the approval of the Assembly of the Islamic Community, in 1997, an agreement was signed on merging with other faculties that were operating independently at the time - Technical, Economic, and Pedagogical, thus integrating them into the foundations of our University - said Islamović.

Over three decades of operation, the IPF has grown into a recognizable higher education institution that connects traditional values with contemporary educational trends, building responsible, educated, and socially engaged individuals.