Memorandum of Cooperation Signed to Improve Teaching on Bosnia and Herzegovina's War Past and Strengthen Culture of Remembrance in Schools

(Patria) - Strengthening the quality of teaching on the war past of Bosnia and Herzegovina and developing a responsible approach to teaching sensitive historical topics are the goals of the Memorandum of Cooperation concluded by the Ministry of Education and Science KS, the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network in BiH, the Srebrenica Memorial Center - Potočari, and the Public Institution Institute for the Development of Pre-university Education KS.

The cooperation is aimed at improving the methodological approach to history teaching through the use of judicially established facts and relevant sources in teaching about the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995.

- It is important for students to learn about genocide and war crimes based on judicially established facts and credible sources. This kind of cooperation further strengthens professional support for teachers and contributes to the development of a responsible approach to teaching these topics, as an important part of building a culture of remembrance in the education system - says the Minister of Education and Science KS Naida Hota-Muminović.

Within this cooperation, professional resources and educational materials based on the verdicts of international and domestic courts will be available to teachers and schools in the Sarajevo Canton, including the Database of Judicially Established Facts about the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina developed by BIRN BiH, as well as manuals and educational content developed in cooperation with the Srebrenica Memorial Center.

- By signing the Memorandum of Cooperation, we have institutionalized support for history teachers at the level of Sarajevo Canton, and made available the materials developed by BIRN BiH.

In this way, we support the improvement of education in the domain of studying war history in a factual, objective, multimedia, and multi-perspective manner. This form of cooperation is also an important step in the process of exchanging experiences, best practices, and building long-term peace - said BIRN Executive Director Denis Džidić.



Director of the Srebrenica Memorial Center - Potočari Emir Suljagić states that the Memorandum of Cooperation represents an important institutional step in improving education about genocide and the culture of remembrance in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

- Education about genocide and war crimes must be a systemic part of the educational process through the development of educational programs and teaching content that enable young generations to understand historical facts - stated Suljagić.

The Memorandum envisages the organization of professional development for teachers and professional associates, the exchange of teaching materials and professional consultations, as well as support for teachers in preparing and implementing teaching units on the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the genocide in Srebrenica.

- The Institute for the Development of Pre-university Education of Sarajevo Canton will provide professional and methodological support to teachers so that the teaching process is based on verified, judicially established facts and modern didactic approaches - stated the Director of the Institute Senada Salihović.

This cooperation builds on the long-standing collaboration of the signatory institutions of the Memorandum in implementing educational activities and projects aimed at improving teaching on the war past and developing a culture of remembrance in the education system.

The Memorandum is being implemented within the project “Building Long-Term Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Investing in the Future,” implemented by BIRN BiH and the Srebrenica Memorial Center with the support of the United Nations Secretary-General's Peacebuilding Fund.

We remind that the Ministry of Education and Science KS last year presented the amended and supplemented edition of teaching materials on the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the siege of Sarajevo, and genocide, which have been integrated into the curriculum of primary and secondary schools in KS.