There is specific data on how many people are leaving Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). On average, 30.000 a year, mostly young people move. The average age of the rural population is over 60 years, while the number of children in rural areas is decreasing. Our villages are slowly dying.
”The people, now after all these cases, left for Germany, have raised their hands, there is no job, there is nothing, ” told Mirsad Fejzic from Zvornik.
”Young people went abroad, there is no one here. Ours promise a job. When? Never,” pointed out Bozidar Cabric from Sekovici.
”500 people have left Koraj since their return. That is one-third for one local community,” stated Alija Halilovic from Lopare.
The villages are slowly disappearing. Depopulation policy takes its toll throughout BiH. The children’s murmur is getting quieter. The queues in front of the schools are getting smaller, and the combined classes are becoming more frequent.
”For three years now, we have had two combinations in the regional department in Kiseljak due to the reduction in the number of students in this school, ” explained Dragica Tubic, director of the elementary school “Vuk Karadzic”, Zvornik.
”We have six regional classes and a central school, and in all regional schools we have combined classes, ” emphasized Dragan Lukic, director of the elementary school “Sveti Sava”, Lopare.
”Combined work is difficult for me and them because in the 2nd grade I have one student, in the 3rd grade one student, in the 4th grade one student and in the 5th grade two students,”emphasized Dragana Bozic, a teacher in the regional elementaryschool.
Strengthening the demographic base, which is set as an imperative, in recent years has meant the renewal of road infrastructure, facilities, as well as assistance within agricultural support programs.
”With some stimulating measures, such as population policy measures, we have somewhat mitigated these issues, but in recent years there has been a drastic decline when it comes to student enrollment and population outflow, ” told Zeljko Kerovic, head of the department for social activities in Municipality of Lopare.
”It is a process within which institutions must work continuously, it is not a thing on which you will do something today, and then you will not do anything for the next five years, ” said Zeljka Cvijanovic, president of the Republika Srpska (RS), SNSD.
Repaired roads did not provide them with security. They just helped them go faster.
