Open School in the Community – A Realistic Solution for Bosnian Society

By Edina Malkić, Director of the International Association "Interactive Open Schools" Tuzla

Before the start of each school year, the public always raises the question of the quality of education and how it can be improved. The concept of open schools in the community, which is advocated in this text, is still not widely known to the general public.

However, what does this mean in practice? A school must be an active participant in the life of the community. Is it about observing the environment without any particular reaction, or actively contributing to strengthening the community?

Certainly, life in Bosnian society is complex and requires an adequate approach and behavior. On the other hand, life in the global community is complex and can be a source of frustration and maladjustment. If a school cannot support students in being ready to cope with the challenges of finding employment, establishing and maintaining quality family relationships, social networks, proactive engagement in the community where we live, navigating life situations that no one teaches us about – how to cope when we lose a loved one, how to deal with death in the family, how to raise a child, how to behave in extreme dangerous situations – then we are talking about the failed role of the school as a safe place for learning, socialization, and upbringing. It is the only place where, with a pedagogically safe environment and professional staff, children can gain experiences and define emotions, attitudes, and behaviors for future life. Based on this, the International Association "Interactive Open Schools" Tuzla (MIOS) proposes a different kind of school, an open school in the community that has the capacity and mechanisms to respond to the diverse needs of children and their parents, and the community.

Democratization of Education

The question arises as to how the community can help. As much as the word democracy in our society has a negative or chaotic connotation, this value, along with other values such as inclusivity, diversity, openness, and others, is leading in opening the school to the community, i.e., to life and reality. There is a constant clash between school life and what children learn there, and what children can use in life. The eternal question I personally encounter, and I believe others do too, is why and how can this help me in life?

An open school in the community is distinguished by a richer school life in terms of the teaching process and learning outside the school building and yard, connections with external collaborators, work and cooperation with parents, and cooperation with the local community as formal and informal groups within the community. An open school in the community is characterized by strong leadership that highlights or addresses pressing issues in the community, issues of the necessity of supporting parenthood, unemployment, health, or safety issues, all through the lens of children. However, the qualitative difference lies in initiating concrete and purposeful actions, independently or through partnerships with external actors, which help in solving problems, such as the problem of landslides and what can be done to reduce the risk of landslides for future generations, the issue of sustainable energy sources, or the physical and social vulnerability of children and families.

This brings us to another important aspect, which is purposeful partnership, because an open school in the community should not have to deal with the complex problems of students on its own. Issues beyond the school's competencies and responsibilities are certainly resolved by external partners, but the qualitative difference lies in joint action, sharing concerns and a vision for solutions, and agreeing on responsibilities.

The learning process in an open school in the community is also located within the community. Children have the opportunity to learn from experience, various social, research situations, and through reflection, to adopt what they have learned and use it as a competence and value for life.

Student Activity

An open school in the community is ready for innovation, trying different approaches, and deviating from established patterns of maintaining the teaching process. We are talking about involving children in real-life situations, such as preparing and working with unemployed youth in the community, or cutting the hair of immobile and elderly members of the local community, or initiating dialogue about drug abuse in the community where everyone knows about it, notices it, but chooses not to react, or caring for and maintaining national cultural monuments that are slowly becoming part of private yards and thus decorations in private property. By observing these situations, children engage all their senses, multiple thought processes, more neural connections are created, and thus the quality of knowledge is more long-lasting and functional.

Parents in an open school are highly valued partners who are consulted on various aspects of school life, such as understanding the parental role as a partner and a source of competence in the teaching process, in initiating and leading initiatives important for children and the school, and in creating a supportive home environment for learning. The qualitative difference is that in our work, we start from the parents' perspective and their needs, not from what we think they need.

Furthermore, important characteristics are social inclusion, an open school climate, purposeful volunteer programs in the school and community, and strengthening the local community, as areas important for the operation of an open school and gaining a comprehensive picture of what an open school entails.

The Reality of the Open School

The idea of an open school is realistic. However, our experience shows that a minimum of four years is needed at the school level to make a change and build a practice that can become a sustainable way of functioning for the school in the next two to four years. So, we are talking about six to eight years of work on developing the school and working on that process. I emphasize the process! Unfortunately, change cannot happen overnight or in a short period, because it truly requires sincere and in-depth reflection on the role that every school has for its students and its community. That is why at MIOS, we do not compare schools. The qualitative areas I described above as leadership, partnership, volunteering, and climate are the same, and every school uses them and goes through the same process; however, the results are always different, even between two schools that are in close proximity. This is one of the beauties of the concept, as it gives the school an opportunity to be unique, regardless of the same starting points, just as we constantly hear that children are different and unique human beings.

MIOS has developed a series of support programs for schools that want to start and work on this transformation process, which is carried out through education, consulting, and networking. Our approach is also different, just as the partner on the other side, i.e., the school, is different.