Naša stranka: Priority in education in Tuzla Canton must be online teaching, not religious education

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - In the new school year, high school students in Tuzla Canton will have religious education in their third and fourth years.

The cantonal committee of Naša stranka TK reacted to this: "We believe that the proposers were guided by the employment of suitable staff, and not by the needs of students and their parents in this difficult period of the pandemic when we still don't know how and under what conditions teaching will be organized. We think that without broader discussion, such a sudden change in curricula and programs does not contribute to improving the quality of teaching.".

"The introduction of religious education will also require the employment of 15 religious teachers. Faculties that train religious teachers, as well as many others, have long ceased to be attractive due to the difficulty of finding work after graduation. Hence the reduced interest in enrolling in them. Therefore, we interpret this move as an attempt to save these faculties. We will not allow the number of hours for any subject to be increased in order to employ staff who currently have no prospects in the labor market. Solving the problems of the labor market cannot be at the expense of schoolchildren," emphasize Naša stranka Tuzla.

They add that the justification of the ruling SDA that this is an alignment with other cantons where religious education is taught in the third and fourth grades is not a valid argument because it is a continuation of the policy that exclusively follows the wishes of religious institutions for their own interests.

"If this proposal was intended to be entirely in the interest of the students, then consideration would also be given to the fact that an alternative subject must be provided for those who do not attend religious education, and there are no curricula for these subjects for the third and fourth grades, which again means discrimination against all students who did not attend religious education. Since only Islamic religious education is being introduced, the discrimination also applies to students who attended Catholic and Orthodox religious education. We know that they will now try to win over the public with emotional blackmail for what they have done, but most citizens are looking at this, as well as all other problems caused by this government, quite rationally and can easily recognize when someone is truly fighting for them and their children, and when they are profiting for themselves based on it. This government forgets that we are in a time of pandemic, when there are much bigger problems, such as how to organize teaching more effectively, and the fear that after a short period from the beginning of the new school year, the only alternative for all schoolchildren will be a return to the online teaching system," it was stated in the announcement.

They emphasize that "this type of teaching must no longer be experimental, but we believe that this government is directly responsible for not doing much to digitalize education since the end of the last school year.".

"The absence of electronic grade books, adequate methods for grading students, training of educators to better prepare for the implementation of online teaching, and unified online registers of teaching materials are certainly problems that need more attention, not this artificial attempt to employ suitable staff by changing curricula. The current government has done nothing regarding the equipment of students so that everyone has adequate access to the teaching process. At this moment, it is far more necessary to allocate funds for the purchase of devices for those students whose financial status does not allow them to follow classes, rather than introducing religious education in the final years of high school. Any costs for introducing new subjects that are not justified in any way at this moment are an incredible luxury that the Government of Tuzla Canton allows itself and which we do not accept," concluded Naša stranka Tuzla.