NDN Education & Dialogue Team

education for all:

bridging the differences in

Stolac

(a project of NDC Mostar,

Bosnia & Herzegovina)

february 2011

Stolac - Background

Stolac High-school – “Two

schools under One roof “

Schools have become the new battlefield for ethno-linguistic dominance and control Children are taught in divided schools and classrooms according to ethnically specific curricula and textbooks “Two-schools-under-one-roof” is perhaps the most apt example of segregation in BiH schools Stolac High-school is important focal point for entire community and therefore by working in this school NDC address both educational issues and relationships

Ethnically divided community (12 500 citizens:

7000 Croats, 5000 Bosniaks, 400 Serbs)

Human losses, significant economic and

infrastructural destruction during the war

Segregation on almost all levels

Stereotypes, prejudices, enemy images

Deep, rooted divisions in all aspects of

everyday life

Nationalistic parties have great influence in

human relationships

Diagnosis: Baseline 2009

Two curriculum, two shifts

No joint extra curricular activities for students and low cooperation between two student councils

No projects and activities that gather teachers and students from both ethnical groups

No opportunity for students and parents to participate on capacity building seminars

No functional parent councils and low level of parents engagement in school activities as such

Principals are under the influence of political parties

The rare occasions where teachers and students meet or talk are workshops/seminars, NGO initiatives (such as NDC Mostar )

Distrust and relatively negative perception towards the NGO activism due to the past bad experience (relates mainly to parents and local authorities)

Lack of communication between teachers

Stolac: objectives & target groups

NDC Mostar long term strategic objective in Stolac: to contribute

to enhance relations between different ethnic groups in the

town of Stolac

Project goal: to develop an inclusive and integrated

educational sector in Stolac

Target Groups:

Teachers

Students

Parents

Local authorities

NDC approach

Integration of the school happens on three equally important levels:

Joint work/cooperation on common activities

Relationship building among all actors in the School itself (teachers, principals,

students, parents)

Institutional/administrative integration

INTEGRATION

NDC approach

Relationship building -Reconciliation

Joint work - Projects

Institutional/Political/Legal Integration

NDC Mostar

Relationship building -Reconciliation

Joint work - Projects

Institutional/Political/Legal Integration

INTEGRATION

Teachers Local authoritiesStudents Parents

NDC approach

NDC Mostar

Relationship building -Reconciliation

Joint work - Projects

Institutional/Political/Legal Integration

INTEGRATION

Teachers Local authoritiesStudents Parents

MoE Municipality Political parties

Political factors

NDC approach

Expected impact 2009-2011:

Relationships across ethnic lines between all

actors in the school (teachers, principals,

students, parents) have been rebuild

Join work/cooperation based on common defined

needs within the school and community is part of

daily life in the school

Increased level of institutional/administrative

integration of ethnically segregated parts of

school has been achieved

Expected impact

Concrete results 2009-2011

the first classroom for joint activities (Nansen classroom) was renovated and

opened as a result of joint and voluntary work of the teachers, students and school

management.

as a result of months of joint work of teachers and NDC Mostar, a relevant

number of joint activities and projects were planned and implemented with in

this period.

news club fully operational (the first joint student body created through process

of empowering and cooperation of amongst student councils).

4 issues of the joint school newsletter have been published by the news club.

parents working groups have been established.

through NDC Mostar support and motivation, local authorities & leading political

parties that were not very keen to cooperate across ethnic borders are now involved in

activities within the school (through parents and teachers’ groups).

local politicians have started to generate join projects & initiatives.

significant number of school actors are actively involved in NDC Mostar activities:

25% of all teachers in the school, 20% of all students and an initial group of 16 parents.

before NDC Mostar collaboration with Stolac high school

there was neither interaction or communication across

ethnic lines. Nowadays, the

above-mentioned actors are the ones who

communicate, initiate, plan and implement

join activities and projects in the school

aiming interethnic normalization, cooperation

and increased level of integration.

Concrete results 2009-2011

Plans for 2011-2015:

replicability & transfer of know-how

NDC

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Joint work - Projects

Ministry of Education - Educational institutions

Relationship building - Reconciliation

Institutional/Political/Legal Integration

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Joint work - ProjectsRelationship building

- Reconciliation

Institutional/Political/Legal Integration

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Joint work - ProjectsRelationship building

- Reconciliation

Institutional/Political/Legal Integration

NDN Education & Dialogue Team

education for all:

bridging the differences in Stolac

(a project of NDC Mostar,

Bosnia & Herzegovina)

february 2011

NDN Offices and focal points

Lillehammer & Oslo, Norway.

Sarajevo, Prijedor & Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Osijek, Croatia.

Pristina & Mitrovica, Kosovo.

Skopje, Macedonia.

Podgorica, Montenegro.

Belgrade & Bujanovac, Serbia.

Published by

Nansen Dialogue Network (NDN)

www.nansen-dialogue.net

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