To My Homeland: Five Thousand Students in Tuzla's Mejdan Marked BiH Statehood Day

(Patria) - On the occasion of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Statehood Day, students from Tuzla symbolically sent messages of unity, patriotism and love for their homeland. 

About five thousand students from schools in the Tuzla area gathered today at the Mejdan sports and cultural centre to mark the statehood holiday in a fitting manner. Every year in Tuzla, this significant date is marked through numerous events, and this year too, through the engagement of young people, the importance of this holiday was highlighted. 

Džana Begović, a fourth-grade student at the Secondary Medical School in Tuzla, congratulated everyone on BiH Statehood Day and spoke about what her homeland means to her.

"It is very important that I am here today, with students from other primary and secondary schools in Tuzla, to mark this special day which is not only a reminder of our past but also gives us an opportunity to think about our future. I believe that education is the key to our strength and development because through work and learning we build a better future, strengthening not only ourselves but also our homeland. Bosnia and Herzegovina is the homeland of all of us and I believe it deserves to be made into what those who fought for it dreamed of. It is one and only, and I believe its heart beats in all of us," she said. 

The ceremony was attended by members of the Government and Assembly of Tuzla Canton, and the Prime Minister of Tuzla Canton, Irfan Halilagić, said that this is a way to send a message about how to love the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"We are truly happy to have the opportunity to see such a large number of young people, our students. And that is precisely the focus and emphasis of this event. Through events like this, they should instil in their consciousness a feeling of love and patriotism towards the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its most important dates, so that when they take over the institutions of this state, they do so in the right and best possible way," said the Prime Minister. 

With their performances and demonstrated enthusiasm, the students today showed that they fully understand the importance of marking state holidays. 

The Minister of Education and Science in the Government of Tuzla Canton, Ahmed Omerović, said it is important for students to learn through the system how to mark important dates.

„It is important for us to teach our students through the system to mark the most significant dates for Bosnia and Herzegovina and to teach them that Bosnia and Herzegovina is a multi-ethnic and multicultural country. That it is open to all its citizens and peoples and that our future lies in Bosnia and Herzegovina being a legal and prosperous state. That is why it is very important that all students are included in marking all significant dates, and today's event is our central event where pictures speak louder than words," he explained, as reported by tuzlanski.ba.