In the Federation of BiH, the number of students has decreased by 80,000 in 10 years, one teacher per 11 children

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Due to emigration and declining birth rates, the number of children enrolled in schools is radically decreasing. More and more young married couples are deciding to have and raise children outside BiH. Sociologists warn that the consequences of this trend could be multiple and disastrous for society.

In the area of the Federation of BiH, in the 2021/2022 school year, there were 1,045 regular primary schools with 173,009 enrolled students, which is 2,438 or 1.4 percent fewer compared to the 2020/2021 school year. In this school year, the number of classes was 9,337, which is 119 fewer compared to the 2020/2021 school year, announced the Federal Institute for Statistics.

In the 2021/2022 school year, the number of teaching staff was 15,824, while the ratio of teaching staff to students in primary education in the 2021/2022 school year was 1:11. When it comes to secondary education, in the area of the Federation of BiH in the 2021/2022 school year, there are 214 secondary schools, attended by 70,094 students, which is 1,364 students or 1.9 percent fewer compared to the previous school year, while the number of classes is 40 fewer compared to the 2020/2021 school year.

In schools for the education of youth with special needs, the number of students is 21.1 percent lower, or 52 students fewer. The ratio of teaching staff to students in secondary education in the 2021/2022 school year is one to 8.2, and in education for youth with special needs, this ratio is 1:2.6.

How drastic the decline in the number of children is, is best shown by data that in the 2010/2011 school year, 223,566 children were enrolled in primary schools in the Federation of BiH. That is 50,557 more than this year. When it comes to secondary schools, in the 2010/2011 school year, there were 99,272 secondary school students in the Federation of BiH, and today there are 70,094, which is 29,178 fewer. Official data show that in the mentioned period, the number of children in schools in the Federation of BiH alone decreased by almost 79,735.

The trend of decreasing student numbers has been present for years and has become a chronic and serious problem for Bosnian-Herzegovinian society, and the authorities are doing nothing to improve the demographic picture and make life easier for families with children. Even the measures that are adopted only cause shock and disbelief, and citizens wonder whether the new measure is a signal that they should go far away from here.