Analyses of Teacher Policies in Bosnia and Herzegovina (original) (raw)
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education policy analysis archives, 2013
This paper presents a political analysis of school-based management reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). School-based management (SBM), based on the principle of school autonomy and community participation, is a school governance system introduced in many parts of the world, including post-conflict nations. Such a phenomenon seems to follow the pattern predicted by the theories of institutional isomorphism. According to the institutionalists in comparative education, a country adopts global education reforms so as to enhance nation-building and nation-state legitimacy within the international community . However, a closer look at the SBM reform adoption process in BiH reveals that, after legislating the global reform, policy leaders appear to have willfully derailed its implementation. Careful analysis of their legitimacy contexts suggests that BiH leaders may have adopted the internationally-driven reform policy primarily for the purpose of enhancing their precarious domestic legitimacy. Such behavior can be explained by ) political utility theory, which has not yet been sufficiently incorporated into the analysis of educational reform transfer. The study posits that policy leaders in reform-borrowing countries still play a crucial role in shaping Education Policy Analysis Archives Vol. 21 No. 62 2 education systems, even in the globalized world that is arguably driving these systems to converge. It is then important for comparative and international education scholars, as well as international donors, to critically assess the intent, practices and behaviors of the political leaders who accept global reforms.
Issues in Teacher Training in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
1997
The current academic 1996/1997 school year in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina began in somewhat different circumstances than the previous ones. These circumstances could be, in general, described as more favorable, since the armed conflict had stopped a year ago. Despite many difficulties, it could be asserted that the overall conditions for education improved. In the meantime, Bosnia and Herzegovina struggled with its agreed upon framework under the stipulations of the Dayton Accords. The country was supposed to undergo the gradual process of re-integration with the heavy presence of the IFOR troops, and a host of international organizations responsible for the implementation of the Accords in the civil sector. Without going into necessary details, it could be said that many basic preconditions for the improvement of living did not take place. Some major results were accomplished in terms of ending the military aspects of the war. Once the hostilities stopped on October 12...
STRATEGIES OF EDUCATIONAL REFORM IN THE COUNTRIES OF SOUTH EASTERN EUROPE Final Report
2000
The Seminar on Strategies of Educational Reform in Transition Countries tookplace in Bled from 8 to 10 June 2000 with the participation of experts fromAlbania, Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina andCroatia on one hand and those from other European countries on the other. Itwas jointly organised by the Council of Europe, the Open Society Institute –Slovenia and the Ministry of Education and Sport of the Republic of Slovenia andfinancially supported by the Enhanced Graz Process.The total number of participants amounted to nearly one hundred. They: – were briefed on the essential issues of European educational reforms in thelast decade and– in the light of that discussed the situation, the degree of changes and theneed for further reform measures in the countries of South Eastern Europe.The basic aim of the seminar was to link experts from countries changing (up-grading) their educational systems under rather difficult circumstances and fromthose that have al...
The Reforms in the System of Education at the Period 2004-2014
Knowledge International Journal, 2019
The system of education must ensure an ongoing reform and development and this paper aims to analyze these changes after the Ohrid Framework agreement. Although this document was a political agreement it impacted the organization in the system of education largely. In the first part the paper analyzes the need for decentralization of power in the country for the sake of being closer to local communities and also improving services in this regard. The changes were presented in two levels. The first level was an organizational redesign of the service in regard to number of schools in the country. In order to better manage the process, the Ministry of Education established two units: the legal unit and the analytical unit. The urgent challenge for the development of this process has to do with the fact that only in its primary education Macedonia had about 340 primary schools that function as special legal units and therefore the centralized management created the “Black Box” effect ac...
The intensive development of the educational system in Bosnia and Herzegovina started immediately after the war. This was dictated by the needs of economic development, industrialization of the country and by the transfer of the labor force from the agricultural to industrial sector, but also by the changes in the whole of the social and political structure and " necessity to engage the whole working class and other citizens to be successfully involved in the development of the socialistic society. " (Hromadžić 1982, pp. 4–5) There was a constant gap between a sudden increase of natality in the afterwar period, the number of children who needed to attend schools and the amount of students, schools space and the lack of teachers. The so called old school dominated in schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was based on verbalism, intellectualism and it was not practical at all. After 1945, Bosnia and Herzegovina accepted the Marxist theory and its decisive input towards education. A school declaratively became national, accessible, obligatory and free for all. Functioning in this way, education became a weapon in the politicians' hands who dreamed of creating a new socialistic individual. An influence of soviet pedagogy was evident. This pedagogy attempted to exclusively impose its principles as the only worthy, as it was the case in all the countries of " national democracy " or socialistic countries created after the Second World War. Nevertheless, pedagogy in Bosnia and Herzegovini was a Marxist one, but it attempted to be focused on pupil and to put him/her, at least declaratively as the subject of the educational process.
Bosnia and Herzegovina under the Communist Regime: an Outlook on Educational Policy
Historia Scholastica, 2021
Bosnia and Herzegovina as one of the nine republics of Yugoslavia was always among the poorest republics in the former state. However, the school system, as it was the case in the totalitarian regimes, was under direct control of the state. The state had the power to influence school programs and to decide who could apply for school profession. After World War II, education became compulsory for all children and the state could have influenced easily all aspects of education. The state conception how to educate a new society and how to produce a common Yugoslav identity was in focus of the new ideology and those who did not agree with this concept were exposed to negative connotations and even to persecution. Human rights of an individual were openly proclaimed but not respected. Totalitarian societies commonly expect the system of education to operate as a main transformational force that will facilitate the creation of the new man in the social order they have proclaimed. Aft...
Preface: A Picturesque Mosaic of Educational Reforms Worldwide
BCES Conference Books, 2020
This volume contains selected papers submitted to the XVIII Annual International Conference of the Bulgarian Comparative Education Society (BCES) held virtually in June 2020. The XVIII BCES Conference theme is Educational Reforms Worldwide. The Annual International Conference of the Bulgarian Comparative Education Society is a traditional, scholarly, interdisciplinary, high-level event. Education specialists from all over the world every year attend the Conference so as to present their studies. The Conference purposefully keeps to a small size, aiming at organizing the selection of papers of the best quality and providing excellent opportunities for presentations and discussions. The goal of the XVIII BCES Conference is to provide a platform for in-depth discussions on educational reforms worldwide. The Conference attracts case, international, and comparative studies on reforms at all levels of the educational systems – preschool, primary, lower and upper secondary, postsecondary, ...
The post-war reconstruction and state-building process in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has been complex, with priorities changing as the country gradually normalizes and donor interests evolve. In mid-2002 the international community in BiH began a significant effort to modernize and reform BiH's education system to better prepare the country's youth to play productive social, economic and political roles in the future. Although educational reform gained significant attention in 2002, reforms efforts have been occurring at a variety of levels since 1996. This paper will provide an overall review of the state of education and educational reform in BiH. In the first part of the paper, a conceptual framework is developed to provide a basis for understanding the role of education and educational reform in societies undergoing a period of transition. Next, the state of education in BiH is reviewed, with a focus on needed reforms. BiH's post-war social, political and legal environments are reviewed to clarify the challenges facing reformers. In order to provide a case study of reform in a post-conflict country, the second half of the paper reviews various reform efforts that have been proposed and implemented since 1996, with an emphasis on the reform process and the role of the international community. Special attention is given to efforts organized by the Office of the High Representative, the European Commission and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. In addition, the unique experience of the Brčko district is reviewed to determine whether it might serve as a model for reform across BiH. Throughout this review there is an emphasis on both process and outcome, because understanding these complex processes is crucial to understanding how and why reforms did or did not occur at various points in time. Several lessons learned for future reform in BiH and other societies in transition are offered in the hope that future reform processes might be more effective and efficient based on BiH's experience. Finally, suggestions for future research are proposed as education and educational reform in BiH and other post-conflict, transition societies, are complex yet necessary efforts to ensure longterm peace and stability.