Prelude

By Team Tara. Ryan. Ashley. Momo ( TRAM )

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a multi-ethnic country in Southeastern Europe that consists of three main ethnicities – Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs. Although these three ethnic groups used to live in harmony, the brutal Bosnian war that occurred between 1992 and 1995 broke this peace, resulting in the divided Bosnian society we observe today. With the horrors of war deeply engraved in the minds of Bosnians, distrust between different ethnic groups is rampant as Bosnia struggles to work towards reconciliation. A major obstacle in this process of reconciliation is its education system that seemingly perpetuates ethnic intolerance, as exemplified by the “two schools under one roof” system (Clark, 2010).

Map of Bosnia and Herzegovina by ethnicity. Source: RadioFreeEurope / RadioLiberty

The “two schools under one roof” phenomenon involves the segregation of students according to their ethnicity, with each ethnic group having their own system of education. Initially planned as a temporary solution in the immediate post-war period after the signing of the Dayton Agreement, this system has become a permanent one that eases parents’ fear of exposing their children to a hostile school environment (OSCE, 2018). With the physical segregation of students using metal fences and staggered break times, inter-ethnic mingling of students is quite literally forbidden. Also, the different languages and versions of history taught to students prevents the ethnic groups from understanding one another, hampering reconciliation efforts.

Although the education system is only one of many social structures that contributes to the ethnic divide, the complexity and recency of the problem strongly grasped our attention, prompting our group to dive deeper into this issue. Knowing that youths are the future of society, we realised the gravity of this situation if nothing is done. Perhaps it was also because we are students ourselves, yet not being able to fully relate to Bosnian youths, that made us seek to understand their situation. As such, we implore you to journey with us through these blog posts as we explore Bosnia’s segregated education system through the lenses of three unique individuals.

References

Clark, J. N. (2010). Education in Bosnia-Hercegovina: The Case for Root-and-Branch Reform.

Journal of Human Rights, 9(3),344-362. doi:10.1080/14754835.2010.501269

Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe. (2018). “Two schools under one roof”

The most visible example of discrimination in education in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe