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Bussing children to mono-ethnic schools in BiH must stop, OSCE Mission says
SARAJEVO 13 March 2003
SARAJEVO, 13 March 2003 - The Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has called for an end to the practice of bussing children to mono-ethnic schools, on the grounds that it hampers sustainable return and creates a financial burden on municipalities.
Enabling children to attend schools closer to home is a crucial part of implementing the Interim Agreement on Accommodation of Specific Needs and Rights of Returnee Children.
"Although many positive steps have been taken since the agreement was signed, there is still a lot of room for improvement. There are numerous examples where children are being bussed 15 to 20 kilometres to schools where they constitute a cultural majority, rather than attending schools that are only a few metres away from their homes," said Robert M. Beecroft, Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH.
In one example that he cited, about ten returnee children are being bussed 15 km. to a school in Dejcici (Trnovo, Federation of BiH, FBiH) but live only a few hundred metres from the primary school in Trnovo (Republika Srpska, RS) which was completely reconstructed and equipped in 1996. In another case, children from Bukovaca (FBiH) are being bussed to the village of Drinic (RS), while the Bukovaca reconstructed school remains empty. These are only two examples, among the many.
Bussing not only hampers sustainable return and reconstruction of the country, but is also a considerable expense that additionally and unnecessarily burdens cantonal and entity budgets. For instance, municipal authorities in Travnik calculated that 35-40,000 Konvertiblna Marka (approx. 19-20,000 euros) is being spent monthly on transporting students and that this amount could be reduced by 50 per cent if children attend the school closest to their residence. Reducing bussing will save considerable funds that could be used to more directly support education.
Ministers of Education of BiH are committed to provide returnee children with ready access to education, in integrated multicultural schools in their area of return, that is free from political, religious and cultural bias and discrimination. Therefore, the Interim Agreement strives to ensure that the rights and needs of returnee children are accommodated, so they are able to attend schools in their area of return.
Through the Co-ordination Board dealing with implementation of the Interim Agreement, the OSCE will continue to support education ministries in ensuring full implementation of the Agreement by the start of the next school year.
Enabling children to attend schools closer to home is a crucial part of implementing the Interim Agreement on Accommodation of Specific Needs and Rights of Returnee Children.
"Although many positive steps have been taken since the agreement was signed, there is still a lot of room for improvement. There are numerous examples where children are being bussed 15 to 20 kilometres to schools where they constitute a cultural majority, rather than attending schools that are only a few metres away from their homes," said Robert M. Beecroft, Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH.
In one example that he cited, about ten returnee children are being bussed 15 km. to a school in Dejcici (Trnovo, Federation of BiH, FBiH) but live only a few hundred metres from the primary school in Trnovo (Republika Srpska, RS) which was completely reconstructed and equipped in 1996. In another case, children from Bukovaca (FBiH) are being bussed to the village of Drinic (RS), while the Bukovaca reconstructed school remains empty. These are only two examples, among the many.
Bussing not only hampers sustainable return and reconstruction of the country, but is also a considerable expense that additionally and unnecessarily burdens cantonal and entity budgets. For instance, municipal authorities in Travnik calculated that 35-40,000 Konvertiblna Marka (approx. 19-20,000 euros) is being spent monthly on transporting students and that this amount could be reduced by 50 per cent if children attend the school closest to their residence. Reducing bussing will save considerable funds that could be used to more directly support education.
Ministers of Education of BiH are committed to provide returnee children with ready access to education, in integrated multicultural schools in their area of return, that is free from political, religious and cultural bias and discrimination. Therefore, the Interim Agreement strives to ensure that the rights and needs of returnee children are accommodated, so they are able to attend schools in their area of return.
Through the Co-ordination Board dealing with implementation of the Interim Agreement, the OSCE will continue to support education ministries in ensuring full implementation of the Agreement by the start of the next school year.