USK Government: Start classes on September 16, lawsuit against the President of the Union to follow

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The Government of the Una-Sana Canton convened this morning in Bihać and considered the Information on the start of the school year in primary and secondary schools in the Una-Sana Canton.

"Considering that the Law on Secondary Education, in Article 41, stipulates that the school year lasts from September 1st of the current calendar year to August 31st of the next calendar year, and that for each school year the Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Government of the Una-Sana Canton issues a teaching calendar that plans the school year, as well as the Law on Primary and General Secondary Education and Training in Article 26, and in Article 27 that the responsible minister prescribes the calendar for the school year, the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports has determined the teaching calendar for the 2019/2020 school year and it has been sent via email to all primary and secondary schools in the Una-Sana Canton. Based on the teaching calendar, it was determined that the school year in primary and secondary schools in the Una-Sana Canton begins on September 2, 2019, and all employees in primary and secondary education in the Una-Sana Canton are aware of this," explained Damir Omerdić, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports in the Canton Government.

He added that "The Independent Union of Primary Education and Upbringing of the Una-Sana Canton and the Union of Secondary and Higher Education, Upbringing, Science and Culture of the Una-Sana Canton have made decisions to go on a general strike of employees in primary and secondary education institutions, i.e., they have informed the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports and the Canton Government that they will not start the teaching process on September 2, 2019, even though it is prescribed by law and the teaching calendar for the 2019/2020 school year."

According to him, on September 11, the Municipal Court in Bihać issued a Decision on determining a temporary security measure, which orders the Independent Union of Primary Education and Upbringing of the Una-Sana Canton to enable the unimpeded conduct of the educational and upbringing process in public primary education institutions in the Una-Sana Canton. Based on the above, employees are obliged to immediately start the teaching process in accordance with the established teaching calendar.

"The Government of the Una-Sana Canton, at its 66th session, accepted the information on the start of the school year and passed conclusions tasking the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports to invite all principals of primary schools in the Una-Sana Canton to establish an unimpeded teaching process from September 16, 2019, based on the Decision of the Municipal Court in Bihać of September 11, and tasked the Prime Minister's Cabinet of the Una-Sana Canton to prepare a criminal complaint, on behalf of the Government of the Una-Sana Canton, against Hadžić Zehra, president of the Independent Union of Primary Education and Upbringing of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cantonal Board of the Una-Sana Canton, due to the existence of a founded suspicion that the named person has committed the criminal offense of Non-fulfillment of a Court Decision from Article 351 of the Criminal Code of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which the Government of the Una-Sana Canton will submit to the Cantonal Prosecutor's Office of the Una-Sana Canton and the Sector of Criminal Police of the Una-Sana Canton for competent proceedings," the statement from the USK Government reads.