The negative trend of population departure from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) continues. The Una-Sana Canton (USC) is still the leader in this, where due to the emigration, the number of students in schools decreases from year to year, and some schools are threatened with closure. According to the data of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USC, more than 15.900 certificates of good conduct were issued in 2021 for the purpose of going abroad. In some schools, every now and then students come to the principals to sign off because they are going abroad with their parents. More than 1.500 first-year students were enrolled this year, but that’s 2.000 fewer than 20 years ago. As for secondary schools, the government’s greatest interest is in medical and electrotechnical and IT fields.
In addition to the drop in the birth rate, the main reason why certain classrooms are empty or half-empty is certainly the emigration of the population. The parents leave first, followed by the children.
“The number of students has been halved in almost all and one school. Our city schools are still doing somewhat well, but rural areas, especially the municipalities of Sanski Most and Cazin, are having a hard time coping with children leaving,” told Zehra Hadzic, president of the USC Primary Education Union.
“Some colleagues even work in four schools to get one salary. They travel, and it is difficult to arrange other jobs with the directors. They are the only ones who feel the outflow of population from the area of the USC, and they are the only ones who feel the consequences of people leaving us,” adds Hadzic.
The outflow and lack of interest of students can also be felt in the “Sanus Futurum” Agricultural High School in Sanski Most. The school has modern equipment, its own orchards, a dairy and is the only one of its kind in the USC. However, there are only fifty students there, and if the situation remains unchanged, the school management will have to put the key in the lock.
Students, as the most valuable resources and the future of this country, were asked if they want to build their future outside the borders of BiH. The majority have the same answer – they plan to leave BiH.
