The protest that lasted 20 days by parents and children from the returnee settlement Konjević Polje ended yesterday. Parents protested yesterday in front of the B&H Parliament, where a conference was held between the Ministers of Education. Parents asked the B&H government to make sure children in the RS entity are able to attend classes in their native language, and for there to be classes in the national subjects.
The President of the Parents’ Council of the Primary School “Petar Kočić” from Konjević Polje Muhamed Ahmetović said that they are not satisfied with the outcome of the protest in front of the B&H Parliament, but they will be in Banja Luka today in order to meet with the RS Minister of Education and Culture Goran Mutabdžija.
After the ministerial meeting yesterday, the FB&H Minister of Education and Science Damir Mašić said that the RS Minister of Education and Culture Goran Mutabdžija promised that a meeting would be organized in Banja Luka today with representatives of the Parents’ Council from Konjević Polje.
According to parents, they continue to be ready to reach a compromise. A proposal would be sent to the ministers for national subjects to be available for the first to fifth grades, and those are Bosnian language and religion. Parents are ready to give up on other subjects.
Children of Bosnian returnees to Konjević Polje and Vrbanjci, both in the RS, did not attend school since the academic year began. Parents are requesting that national subjects be made available in accordance with the Constitution, the law and temporary inter-entity agreement from 2002.
Mutabdžija called on Bosnian returnees to Konjević Polje to send their children to school starting today, and said that ‘this situation is politicized, but children are the ones who lose the most’’.
(Source: Dnevni Avaz/Anadolija)
