Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Common curriculum, core curriculum or common curriculum standards—finding a solution for Bosnia and Herzegovina

  • Open File
  • Published:
PROSPECTS Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The article addresses the issue of possible curriculum models in post-conflict countries, taking as an example the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1996 and 2004. Following the Dayton agreement, the education system in Bosnia and Herzegovina was divided between 13 ministries administering different Bosnian, Serb and Croat cantons. Despite the functioning of some central/federal bodies with education responsibilities, such as the Ministry for Civil Affairs, the divided system of education governance created significant obstacles to the establishment of “national” quality and access frameworks encouraging national unity and mobility. Over the last ten years, developing a basic education “core curriculum” has been a major emphasis of reform efforts. This article focuses on issues such as the relative benefits of a common curriculum, a core curriculum and a curriculum framework in addressing identified deficiencies in existing curricula and contributing to societal renewal and development.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. See the Preamble to the Constitution of BiH.

  2. The view that the constituent peoples of BiH represent religious divisions is generally seen as too simplistic and does not take account of the complexity of the cultural and political situation in BiH. Nevertheless, in the consideration of some education-related issues (such as the place of religion in the curriculum) the support of the Serb Orthodox Church for the Serb position, of the Catholic Church for the Croat position and of Islam for the Bosniak position cannot be ignored.

  3. Another recent experience of (transitional) international administration of post-conflict societies is Kosovo (United Nations Interim Administration in Kosovo—UNMIK, since 1999).

  4. Extract from the Declaration made by the Conference of Ministers of Education of BiH, 10 May 2000 (Available on-line at: www.ohr.int).

  5. For example, in its efforts to achieve consistent, modern education legislation across BiH, the Council of Europe sought the sponsorship of proposed laws by the state level Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees, relying on the position that education was a fundamental human right.

  6. While Croats and Bosnian people use mainly the Latin alphabet, Serbs use mainly the Cyrillic alphabet.

  7. CIVITAS: Programme launched by the Centre for Civic Education (www.civiced.org) in Calabasas/California under the name CIVITAS International (www.civiced.org/index.php?page=civitas_an_international_civic_education_exchange_program). The programme aims at promoting education for democratic citizenship internationally, and especially in transition countries/emerging democracies.

  8. It should be noted that, while it is encouraging that all respondents to the questionnaire agreed that there should be a “common core curriculum”, there was, at the time of the questionnaire, no agreed definition of a common core curriculum, nor did all respondents agree on its definition or content.

  9. Created during the communist Yugoslav era, Pedagogical Institutes are still quite powerful education and curriculum bodies throughout BiH with important functions in terms of research, but also policy making, curriculum development and implementation, assessment and teacher education and training.

  10. OSCE stands for Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

  11. See www.oscebih.org/documents/14-eng.pdf.

  12. The creation of a central Curriculum Agency for BiH was envisaged as an essential dimension of many internationally-sponsored education reform programmes in BiH. However, owing to ongoing controversies with regard to its status, functions, as well as its management and financing, and despite many concrete attempts to create such an Agency, the BiH Curriculum Agency was not yet enacted and did thus not become a viable curriculum institution.

  13. The concept of a “curriculum framework” could be merged with the concept of a “standards framework”. These are not mutually exclusive.

  14. See www.europa.ba/files/docs/publications/en/Model_Framework_Curriculum.pdf.

  15. In 2003–2004 UNESCO IBE carried out an intensive capacity building programme for primary and secondary curriculum development for more than 60 education specialists, focusing on how to develop quality curriculum frameworks and syllabuses. This programme was followed by the EU Programme “Reform of General Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina” (2004–2006)—see Georgescu (2005). Many UNESCO IBE trainees were selected to be responsible for different tasks within the EU-funded Education Reform Programme.

  16. See http://www.oscebih.org/public/document.

References

  • EC-TAER. (2001). A shared strategy for the modernization of Primary and General Secondary Education in BiH. Report of the inaugural conference, Oct. 2001 (pp. 11–12).

  • Georgescu, D. (2005). Le rôle de l’éducation dans les situations de post-conflit. Les expériences du Bureau International d’Éducation (BIE). In M. Aligisakis (Ed.), L’Europe et la Sortie des Conflits (pp. 87–102). EURYOPA. Institut Européan. Université de Genève [The Role of Education in Post-conflict Societies. The Experiences of the International Bureau of Education (IBE)]

  • Lenhart, V., Kesidou, A., & Stockman, S. (1999). The curricula of the “national subjects” in Bosnia and Herzegovina: A report to UNESCO. Sarajevo/Heidelberg.

  • Stabback, P. (2003). Curriculum and curriculum policy reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Report to OSCE. 2004. Curriculum development, diversity and division in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In S. Tawil & A. Harley (Eds.), Education, conflict and social cohesion (pp. 37–84). Studies in comparative education. UNESCO IBE

  • UNESCO. (1996). Review of the education system in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Paris.

  • UNESCO. (1999). Report on the symposium on the curricula of the “National” subjects in Bosnia and Herzegovina (p. 6). Sarajevo (compiled by Stefanie Lessmann).

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 77 Darley Street, Killarney Heights, NSW, 2087, Australia

    Philip Stabback

Authors
  1. Philip Stabback
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Philip Stabback.

Additional information

Original language: English.

Appendix

Appendix

Key reference documents

A Message to the People of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Education Reform

In November 2002, the Entity Ministers of Education in BiH, strongly supported by the Office of the High Representative (OHR) and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission to BiH, outlined their objectives in education reform to the Peace Implementation Council (PIC). This document, also known as the Education Reform Strategy Paper, has, for the first time, clearly defined a set of strategic objectives and timelines that had been negotiated between the International Community and local authorities. Available at www.oscebih.org

Bosnia and Herzegovina—From aid dependency to fiscal self-reliance: a public expenditure and institutional review

This review was conducted by the World Bank in 2002 and contains a detailed analysis of expenditure and management practices in the education sector in BiH. Available at www.worldbank.org

Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Constitution of BiH can be found at Annex 4 of the GFA.

Framework Law on Primary and Secondary Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 2003. See www.oscebih.org/documents/14-eng.pdf.

General Framework Agreement for Peace (GFA)

This is the peace agreement negotiated to end the war in 1995. It is also known as the “Dayton Peace Accord” or the Dayton Agreement. Available at www.ohr.int.

Green Paper. Reform of Primary and General Secondary Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 2003. Produced by the BiH Educational authorities. Assisted by the EC-TAER Programme. Funded by the European Union. See www.see-educoop.net/education_in/pdf/zelena-knjiga-bosna-enl-bih-t02.pdf. The Inter-Entity Ministerial Agreement of May 10, 2000 (See Annex). Available on-line at: www.ohr.int.

OSCE. Compendium of Selected Reports on Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina 2004–2005. www.oscebih.org/documents/1482-eng.pdf.

White Paper. Shared Modernisation Strategy for Primary and General Secondary Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Produced by the BiH Educational authorities. Assisted by the EC-TAER Programme. Funded by the European Union. See www.soros.org.ba/docs_obrazovanje/white_paper.pdf.

DeclarationFootnote 16

We, the Federal Minister of Education, the Deputy Federal Minister of Education and the Minister of Education of the Republika Srpska, gathered for a meeting of the Conference of Ministers of Education of Bosnia and Herzegovina convened by OHR and the Council of Europe, and co-chaired by the Senior Deputy High Representative, Ambassador Dr. Matei Hoffmann, and Mr. Gabriele Mazza, Council of Europe, on 10 May 2000 at OHR, Sarajevo, declare our commitment to the fundamental reform of the existing parallel education systems of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a matter of high priority, as requested by the Council of Europe within the process of accession of BiH, as well as by the International Community as a whole. We unanimously adopt the following principles:

  1. 1.

    The highest quality of education based on genuine European standards and norms should be sought for all children and young people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the single most valuable resource that the country has in order to shape its future;

  2. 2.

    Education must no longer be used to divide and fragment the communities of Bosnia and Herzegovina; on the contrary, it should be used to bring them together and live in tolerance with one another. Any existing forms of segregation must be removed from the parallel education systems in the Federation and Republika Srpska, and co-ordination assured in order to facilitate the return of refugee families throughout the whole of Bosnia and Herzegovina;

  3. 3.

    While each constituent people of Bosnia and Herzegovina is entitled to preserve and develop its own cultural and linguistic heritage, common and shared elements which facilitate intercultural understanding and communication should be stressed and reflected in all curricula and relevant textbooks. Measures to be taken throughout the country include the teaching of both Cyrillic and Latinic alphabets, the teaching of the shared literary and cultural heritage of the three communities, and teaching about all major religions practised in BiH;

  4. 4.

    Curricula and textbooks for the national subjects must use Bosnia and Herzegovina as their country of reference. The names of the two entities, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska will also be taught and used in textbooks where appropriate;

  5. 5.

    All certificates and diplomas must be recognised and accepted throughout the country in order to facilitate the mobility of pupils, students, teachers, teacher trainers and other educators;

  6. 6.

    Sustained and coordinated efforts to reform and renew the different education systems should immediately address the pervasive overload of subjects in all curricula.

Fahrudin Rizvanbegovic

Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports

Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Nenad Suzic

Minister of Education

Republika Srpska

Ivo Miro Jovic

Deputy Minister of Education,

Science, Culture and Sports

Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina

About this article

Cite this article

Stabback, P. Common curriculum, core curriculum or common curriculum standards—finding a solution for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Prospects 37, 449–467 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-008-9049-y

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-008-9049-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation