OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina urges return of teachers
(OSCE)Head of OSCE Mission to BiH, Ambassador Beecroft, applauded the document "Reforming Education to give BiH a better future." (OSCE) Photo details
SARAJEVO, 5 August 2003 - The Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Robert M. Beecroft, urged education ministries and school directors to take extra steps to encourage returnee teachers to apply for teaching vacancies, which are being issued this week.
As an integral part of the Implementation Plan for the Interim Agreement on Returnee Children, schools should advertise teaching vacancies in areas of return as well as in displacement areas, to ensure that potential returnee teachers are made fully aware of all teaching vacancies.
"It is encouraging that many education authorities and school directors have already taken steps to facilitate employment of returnee teachers," Beecroft said. An example is information exchange between schools in Sarajevo and Srebrenica, where potential returnee teachers currently in Srebrenica have been informed about eleven new vacancies in two Sarajevo Canton schools.
"We also applaud the efforts of education authorities in Canton 1, who have noted that the potential for returnee employment is very high," Ambassador Beecroft added. "In the Sanski Most area, for example, over 80 full or part time vacancies are expected to be issued in August and Mission representatives together with the Ministry of Education have worked to ensure that the vacancy notices will be shared with local returnee community leaders."
The OSCE Mission encourages returnee teachers to apply for these positions and will continue its efforts in returnee communities to facilitate increased numbers of returnee applications to these posts.
The Mission also notes that, according to the Interim Agreement, the composition of school boards must mirror the ethnic composition of schools. The Mission urges the Ministries of Education to issue instructions regarding the composition of school boards without delay in order to ensure maximum implementation of the Interim Agreement by the new school year.
As an integral part of the Implementation Plan for the Interim Agreement on Returnee Children, schools should advertise teaching vacancies in areas of return as well as in displacement areas, to ensure that potential returnee teachers are made fully aware of all teaching vacancies.
"It is encouraging that many education authorities and school directors have already taken steps to facilitate employment of returnee teachers," Beecroft said. An example is information exchange between schools in Sarajevo and Srebrenica, where potential returnee teachers currently in Srebrenica have been informed about eleven new vacancies in two Sarajevo Canton schools.
"We also applaud the efforts of education authorities in Canton 1, who have noted that the potential for returnee employment is very high," Ambassador Beecroft added. "In the Sanski Most area, for example, over 80 full or part time vacancies are expected to be issued in August and Mission representatives together with the Ministry of Education have worked to ensure that the vacancy notices will be shared with local returnee community leaders."
The OSCE Mission encourages returnee teachers to apply for these positions and will continue its efforts in returnee communities to facilitate increased numbers of returnee applications to these posts.
The Mission also notes that, according to the Interim Agreement, the composition of school boards must mirror the ethnic composition of schools. The Mission urges the Ministries of Education to issue instructions regarding the composition of school boards without delay in order to ensure maximum implementation of the Interim Agreement by the new school year.