Magazinović: How much does BiH lose due to citizens leaving, whose education it has invested in

SARAJevo, (Patria) - Saša Magazinović, SDP MP in the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliament, has sent a parliamentary question about the average cost of education for BiH citizens, considering various costs depending on the field of study, up to the level of completed secondary school and up to the level of completed university degree.

- What is the financial loss of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina during this mandate solely based on the emigration of a large number of citizens whose education has been invested in through the educational system – Magazinović asked.

Various data can be heard in public about the number of citizens who have left Bosnia and Herzegovina. The numbers, which also speak of the departure of young people from BiH, have long been alarming. Whichever data we take as relevant, we will agree that this is a devastating reality that the country's authorities must face, rather than, as has been the case so far, relativizing this huge problem.

According to data from the Union for Sustainable Return and Integration of BiH, as reported by the media, more than 150,000 people emigrated from Bosnia and Herzegovina between 2013 and 2017. In 2017 alone, over 35,000 people emigrated from BiH – the explanation of the question states.

For a long time, unemployment was the main reason for leaving. However, it is becoming increasingly common for entire families to emigrate from Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as people who had jobs in BiH. Highly educated, financially stable individuals who received their education in BiH are also leaving our country. The reason for their departure is most often a feeling of hopelessness and stagnation in all aspects, and even regression in society.

- Starting from the assumption that the Council of Ministers has data on the average cost of the education process for citizens in BiH, depending on the field of study, it is assumed that it will not be difficult to answer this question. Accordingly, there should be no obstacle to publicly disclosing a concrete or at least approximate figure showing how much money the state has invested in the education of those who have left, for which the political elites who create living conditions and the general atmosphere in society bear the greatest responsibility – the question states.

The question was addressed to the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina.