Fewer elementary school students than in previous years: Do we have enough youth for the future of BiH

How many people are truly leaving Bosnia and Herzegovina and are we running out of youth? There is talk of entire families leaving. However, there are no precise data on this social problem either in state institutions or in precise research by non-governmental organizations. Various figures are being used, and the most frequently mentioned figure is 90,000 Bosnians who have left their homeland in the past three years in search of a better life. It seems incredible that the state is unable to obtain accurate figures on the youth leaving it, writes the BH News Agency Patria.

One of the indicators of national decline is, first and foremost, the enrollment of students in the first grade of elementary schools, and then in all elementary schools. Since there is talk of entire younger families leaving, this can be a somewhat acceptable indicator of how much youth is leaving their homeland, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In Republika Srpska, the number of enrolled first-graders has fallen below ten thousand for the first time, which has resonated tragically in that entity. In the Federation of BiH, slightly more than 20,000 first-graders were regularly enrolled in previous years. The Ministry of Education and Science of the Federation of BiH has preliminary data, as they have not yet received data for several cantons. Even these preliminary data indicate that enrollment in the first grades of elementary school is, however, declining in all cantons where data is available. The fact is that in the past school year 2016/17, the enrollment of first-graders was above the average of previous years, so this somewhat mitigates the problem.  

It is not a dramatic decline, but it is evident that a decrease in the number of enrolled children exists as an almost general fact. 
In Sarajevo, 4,297 first-graders were enrolled last year, and 4,036 this school year. Thus, 261 fewer first-graders. Only in the 2012/13 school year were fewer children enrolled in the first grades of elementary schools in Sarajevo Canton than in this 2017/18 school year.

In Tuzla Canton, 4,200 students were enrolled in the first grades, which is 291 fewer students compared to last year. A total of 976 fewer students were enrolled in Tuzla elementary schools. Last year, there were 39,976 elementary school students, and this year exactly 39,000.

In Zenica-Doboj Canton, 3,478 first-graders were enrolled last year, while this year this number is slightly lower - 3,132 students, which is 346 fewer students. Last year, 30,733 students were enrolled in this canton, while this year the number of elementary school students is 30,919, which is an increase of 186 students.

In Bosanska-Podrinje Canton, 66 fewer first-graders were enrolled than last year.

In Canton 10, 91 fewer first-graders started school this year compared to the previous year, while nine fewer students enrolled in secondary schools.

In Central Bosnia Canton, 2,340 first-graders were enrolled, which is 41 fewer students than in the 2016/17 school year. Last year, this canton had a total of 21,577 elementary school students, and this year 20,880, which is a catastrophic decrease of 697 elementary school students. That is almost 28 average classes. 

In Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, 1,901 first-graders were enrolled, which is 18 fewer than last year. However, the total number of elementary school students has drastically decreased - by 541 students. 

Data for Una-Sana, Posavina, and West Herzegovina cantons are missing. Therefore, the Federation will still be around 20,000 enrolled first-graders this year, which is a decline, but not a dramatic decrease. Perhaps this country needs a ministry for youth more than any other in the Western Balkans. Not only for recording the decline and departures from the homeland, but also for issues of their rights to work and education. Remembering the recent past and the most important thing - the right to life.