Tomorrow's Leaders Need Today's Changes

The BiH news agency Patria fully relays the blog of the Chargé d'Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in BiH, Nicholas M. Hill, published on the official website of the U.S. Embassy in BiH. 

- As part of the commemoration of the 15th anniversary of International Education Week, I visited the Third Gymnasium on Monday and spoke with students about how important education is for them and for the future of their country.  I am sure I did not tell them anything new.  (The fact that teenagers know everything is universal.) 

Like students across Bosnia and Herzegovina, they all know that it is imperative to become part of a modern educational system that will provide them with the skills necessary to be competitive in the global labor market in the 21st century and, at the same time, to nurture values such as justice, respect for human rights, and tolerance of diversity.  They know that they do not live in such a system today.

The real challenge is how to reform the country's educational system before these students graduate.  It is not enough to apologize to them and hope that the system will better serve the next generation of students.  Steps can be taken immediately – such as developing standards for the recognition of educational qualifications and eliminating academic corruption that allows the purchase of grades, and even diplomas. 

In addition, there is a huge problem – segregation in education, which does not provide students with the opportunity to work and socialize with members of other ethnic groups in the same way that students in other, fully functional democratic states are enabled to do.  Skeptics will say that the recent decision of the Supreme Court of the Federation of BiH, which prohibits discrimination in divided schools, will not have much impact. 

Parents, students, and communities where such schools exist must not allow that to happen – this ruling is a small step in the right direction.  This is not just about the practice of two schools under one roof, but also about the fact that all forms of discrimination, segregation, and forced assimilation of students belonging to minority groups must stop – simply put, there is no room for an ethnocentric narrative in education.

Today, students need to play together on playgrounds so that they are prepared to live and work together effectively in a multi-ethnic society like BiH.  We are surprised by how little the reform of education is discussed in public, and the high school students I spoke with yesterday can no longer wait. 

There is a precedent for change.  Just look at the integrated schools in Brčko or the recent events related to the development of a common curriculum in civic education for the entire BiH. 

In defining the approach to civic education, groups of students, educators, experts, and ministry officials have managed to find common ground on how young people in this country will learn about democracy and their role in democratic processes.

In support of this plan and program, the U.S. Embassy is donating 23,000 textbooks to schools that were severely affected by the floods last spring.  In partnership with the non-governmental organization Civitas, we are organizing summer camps, homestays, school exchange programs, and an annual Project Citizen competition that involves over 40,000 students each year.  These initiatives strengthen ties between young people from different backgrounds in BiH and increase their engagement in the country's development.

In addition to advocating for progress in the educational system in BiH, we also provide short-term and long-term scholarships to students, teachers, academics, and professionals for study in the United States.  However, international exchanges should complement education acquired in one's home country; they should by no means replace that education. 

Therefore, we join those who are calling for a curriculum based on modern educational standards that will foster civic responsibility and reconciliation.  We join those who have the political will to implement educational reforms that will incorporate not only modern science and technology, but also interactive teaching methods that involve the engagement of students, teachers, and parents in the learning process.

Looking at the audiences in the schools I recently visited, I saw a large number of smart, curious students ready to create a better future for BiH.  We must not let them down.