Narod i Pravda systematically destroys the education system in Sarajevo!

By: Muamer Bandić, Head of the SDP BiH Caucus in the KS Assembly

The Ministry of Education and Upbringing of Sarajevo Canton has, without a doubt, brought the education system to a state of complete chaos by carrying out political persecutions for the pre-election positioning needs of a party in Sarajevo Canton.

The Minister of Education and Upbringing in a “technical mandate”, Naida Hota-Muminović, intends to propose the dismissal of several principals of primary and secondary schools in Sarajevo Canton at one of the upcoming sessions of the “technical mandate” Government, including JU “Seventh Primary School“, JU Primary School “Isak Samokovlija“, JU Primary School “Safvet-beg Bašagić“ and JU Electrical Engineering School for Energetics.

The reasons for these dismissals are not professional, but exclusively political. With this move, the minister is carrying out a final party assault on the education system of Sarajevo Canton in order for her party to take over cantonal educational institutions. The only result of this brutal, ruthless pre-election placement of obedient and suitable party cadres will be further devastation of the education system in Sarajevo Canton.

This is being pushed through by force, regardless of the fact that some institutions do not have complete school boards, which is a prerequisite for their operation and valid decision-making.

Regardless of the fact that there is no valid reason for dismissal, the minister will propose the dismissal of principals who are legally performing their jobs but are not close to her party, through a report to the Government. Their only “sin” is that they know how to do their job and are not willing to blindly implement her failed “reforms”, or to do favors for the party.

For this mass pre-election placement of party cadres, the minister has carefully prepared the ground through “reformist” bylaws. Thus, regulations have been put in place to clearly distinguish between the dismissal and resignation of principals. In case of dismissal, the person cannot continue working in the educational institution, thus “freeing up” a job for people close to NiP, while in case of resignation, there is a possibility of “continuation of employment”.

Such a normative solution suits only those who want complete political, i.e., party control over employment in educational institutions, because this kind of blackmail regarding “continuation of employment” allows for the removal of politically unsuitable cadres.

The Institute for Pre-University Education plays a key role in these party purges, which, through “direct supervision of the institution’s work”, even checks public procurement.

What connection does the public procurement process have with expert supervision? Absolutely none! But it is an opportunity for the Cantonal Administration for Inspection Affairs to “impose measures” if the Institute finds any “flaw” in the school that is not to the minister’s liking, which the minister will use to blackmail an unsuitable principal into resigning so as not to lose any job at all.

With such actions, the Ministry of Education and Upbringing of KS and Minister Hota-Muminović are completely adopting the legal logic, normative solutions, and working methods of the darkest totalitarian systems.

One thing is certain, the practice of such political persecutions will lead to new court cases and the accumulation of debt based on lost court judgments, thereby the Trojka further burdens the already devastated budget of Sarajevo Canton.

One of the key consequences of the “reforms” in the education system, which the ministry has been implementing over the past eight years, is that schools as independent legal entities exist only formally, while essentially losing their independence, quality, purpose, and authority, which clearly indicates institutional degradation and the complete collapse of the foundations of the educational system.

The Institute for the Development of Pre-University Education has also made a significant contribution to this degradation, which, as a “subcontractor”, together with the ministry, has undermined the quality of schools, teaching staff, and educational standards themselves. Teachers’ autonomy has been reduced, while administration has taken precedence over pedagogy, which is why teachers themselves feel undervalued.

The Institute for the Development of Pre-University Education, which was supposed to be a support for teaching staff and a driver of educational improvement, has become a source of pressure and repression in the hands of one person. If we were to draw some historical parallels, we can rightly say that this Institute today functions as the political police of Narod i Pravda for Sarajevo Canton.

The Institute itself has been operating for the entire past year without an adopted work plan, as well as a financial plan, which are key acts that are a prerequisite for the lawful functioning of any institution.

Does anyone in this unfortunate and lost government wonder how an institution can supervise the lawful work of educational institutions while it itself operates unlawfully? They simply don’t care. They can get away with it!

The new government, after the elections, must urgently return the work of the Ministry of Education and Upbringing of KS within legal frameworks in order to reduce unnecessary political pressure on schools, principals, and teachers. Such totalitarian practice leads nowhere and will not yield any positive results for our society.

It is becoming increasingly clear that the Law on Education and Upbringing from 2024 must also be repealed, as well as all bylaws adopted by Minister Hota-Muminović. In doing so, the Institute for the Development of Pre-University Education of KS must return to its original responsibilities, focusing on the development of content and methods of the educational process, rather than witch hunts for the daily political needs of a party.

If we remain with these settings, we will not have real quality in the work of schools as fundamental institutions for the upbringing and education of future generations. If the model of Minister Hota-Muminović remains, God help us.