Pilot project in Sarajevo Canton: External matura for high school students

From this school year, a pilot project with the aim of introducing a mandatory matura exam for students completing the fourth grade of secondary school, reports the Patria news agency.

-The introduction of a mandatory matura exam for students completing the fourth grade of gymnasium and technical schools as a pilot project is planned to be implemented at the end of this 2015/2016 school year, stated Minister Elvir Kazazović at today's meeting with representatives of ministries from seven cantons and the Republic Pedagogical Institute of Republika Srpska, which was organized on this occasion.

According to his words, this project is very demanding and ambitious, but necessary, because a state matura is implemented in all European Union countries. Sarajevo Canton has the possibility to implement it because work is currently underway on amending the laws on preschool, primary, secondary, and higher education, which need to be harmonized in order to adequately conduct the external matura in secondary schools.

-The introduction of an external matura for students in secondary schools will primarily enable monitoring and control of the quality of education and student knowledge, emphasized Minister Kazazović, stating that this will also require the engagement of a large number of teachers and professors in secondary schools, for which financial resources will also be necessary, but which will be kept to a minimum.

Students would take the matura in three subjects: Mathematics, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian language, and the first foreign language.

At the meeting, a presentation of the existing model of external matura for students completing primary school was also held for the guests, in order to familiarize them with the experiences Sarajevo Canton has had so far in this area, because besides Sarajevo, it is only implemented in Tuzla Canton.

-Our duty is to offer adequate assistance to all cantons that are interested and have the possibilities to do so, so that the external matura can be implemented in other cantons in the future, said Minister Kazazović, adding that he will also inform them about the weaknesses and mistakes observed in its implementation so far.

Until now, students taking the external matura after completing the ninth grade of primary school had to take five subjects, but from the next school year they will be required to take three.

-The electronic system, which is necessary for its implementation, is the most demanding, and in that area we can offer them programmers to implement it efficiently, said Minister Kazazović.

 During the meeting, it was stated that the most common reason why other cantons are unable to implement the external matura in primary schools is financial in nature.

-We have a large number of students from Bosnian-Podrinje Canton who enroll in secondary schools in Sarajevo Canton, which is why they must also take the external matura. We want to introduce the matura, but we do not have adequate experts to help us develop the tests, for which we will certainly seek help from Sarajevo Canton, said Nijaz Zorlak, expert advisor at the Pedagogical Institute of Bosnian-Podrinje Canton, and announced that this canton will introduce the external matura after completing primary school in the next school year, the ministry stated.