OSCE Head meets with parents of children denied the right to learn Bosnian language

(Patria) - The Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH, Kathleen Kavalec, held a meeting today with a group of parents from Liplje (Zvornik) whose children have been prevented from studying the Bosnian language. The parents' struggle has been ongoing for years to enable the children of Bosniak returnees to learn the Bosnian language, and not the "language of the Bosniak people".

The authorities in the RS refuse to call the language Bosnian and to have it entered as such in official school documentation. 

It is discriminatory to treat any of the constituent peoples differently from the other two, as is the case with the issue of the Bosnian language. The Decision of the Constitutional Court of BiH (U 7/15) states that the name of the language should reflect the wishes of the majority of people who speak it. Therefore, the language of the Bosniak people is Bosnian, as requested by representatives of Bosniaks throughout BiH.

"Education should not be politicised, and educational institutions must be inclusive and meet the needs of all students, not just those who are members of the majority people. The OSCE Mission to BiH will continue to advocate for a solution to this issue with the RS authorities, as well as to fight against discrimination in education and work on its prevention, and to promote inclusive, high-quality education throughout BiH.

The OSCE Mission to BiH commended the parents for initiating legal proceedings to secure their children's rights in accordance with the Law on Prohibition of Discrimination in BiH, as the best means towards a long-term solution," were some of the conclusions of today's meeting.