The new curriculum in the schools of Republika Srpska has caused numerous reactions from the public. Vice President Ćamil Duraković points out that children will learn about Ratko Mladić and Radovan Karadžić – but not as war criminals, but as war heroes, and asks for the reaction of the BiH Prosecutor’s Office. The Entity Pedagogical Institute says that the plan and program is changed in accordance with the law.
The teaching topic “Republika Srpska and the defensive-patriotic war” for ninth-grade students includes the study of Ratko Mladić and Radovan Karadžić as heroes of the war. Messages of disappointment from the Srebrenica association.
FAZILA EFENDIĆ, president of the “Mothers of Srebrenica” Association
“I am outraged by some lies and untruths. How many years will we prove the truth? Anyone who has and raises children, wants their children to grow up in peace and truth, and not with some deceptions and untruths.
In a statement, the Association of Genocide Victims and Witnesses and the Movement of Mothers of the Srebrenica and Žepa enclaves are asking for urgent reactions from the international community. We sent an inquiry to the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina asking if they would take any action, but we did not receive an answer. Lawyer Goran Šimić for BHRT confirms the violation of provisions.
Assoc. Dr. GORAN ŠIMIĆ, expert in the field of criminal law
For years, we have been witnessing in all territories of Bosnia and Herzegovina from all high-level political and social officials the relativization of war crimes and the promotion of the acts of war criminals that remain completely unsanctioned by the competent prosecutor’s offices.
JASMINKA DŽUMHUR, ombudsman for human rights of Bosnia and Herzegovina
“From the aspect of human rights, we can say that all conventions are being violated, above all that the framework law on education in BiH is being violated, which is why there is an obligation to intervene by all competent authorities.”
The Pedagogical Institute of the RS says that the same topics were studied in the previous school year and that the Institute is given the right by law to propose a curriculum.
SLAĐANA TANASIĆ, director of the Republic Pedagogical Institute of RS
“We made changes within this topic, through 10 new classes, because we recognized it as a need expressed by teachers who teach in schools in the RS and we tried to provide a more relaxed way of organizing classes.”
The vice president of Republika Srpska spoke. It seeks equal treatment for all children in this entity.
ĆAMIL DURAKOVIĆ, Vice President of the Republic of Srpska
“We have both Bosniak and Croat children in the RS education system, why impose historical facts that are not true? I think it is, first of all, because of the verdict on these criminals who have been sentenced.”
ELMEDIN KONAKOVIĆ, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina
“As long as I live, I will do everything to resist both personally and institutionally those who, by distorting the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina, glorifying war criminals, are deforming an entire generation of young people.”
Students should study about events in the past exclusively in accordance with objective facts, in this case court rulings. This is the only way there is hope for BiH society and new generations, says a legal expert. Numerous calls were made to the Prosecutor’s Office for a reaction, which has not been announced so far, BHRT writes.
