The facility has been completely reconstructed and equipped with modern didactic equipment, and is organized into three mixed educational groups with a capacity for 77 children.
The first children in the renovated kindergarten should start in mid-March 2026.
A total of 1.9 million convertible marks was invested in the reconstruction and equipping of the kindergarten. The City of Sarajevo allocated 1.2 million KM, the Ministry of Education of Sarajevo Canton provided 600,000 KM, while the Municipality of Stari Grad participated with 100,000 KM.
The Minister of Education of Sarajevo Canton, Naida Hota-Muminović, pointed out that the reopening of this kindergarten has special significance for the development of preschool education in Sarajevo Canton.
– That building has been waiting almost 30 years for renovation and it is very important to us that the little ones will once again fill this space with their noise. This is where they will create their first memories and build the foundations for further education and lifelong learning. It is particularly significant that this is the 40th kindergarten within the public institution ‘Djeca Sarajevo’. That investment shows how much different levels of government can achieve when they work together for the benefit of children – said Hota-Muminović.
Mayor of Sarajevo Samir Avdić and Mayor of Stari Grad Municipality Irfan Čengić addressed those present, and a special emotional moment was marked by the presence of Agnes Rakočević, daughter of Agan Bostandžić, after whom the kindergarten is named.
– I don’t live here, but this moment has a great meaning for me. I came with my daughter and I am very excited to see that the kindergarten named after my father is alive again – said Rakočević.
Amela Buljubasic, acting director of the “Children of Sarajevo” JU, expressed her satisfaction that after 30 years, the doors of the kindergarten in Širokača are opening again.
– Our professional staff will work dedicatedly to provide children with quality upbringing, safety and support in their development – said Buljubašić.
The ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister of the Sarajevo Canton in resignation Nihad Uk, Minister of Finance KS Afan Kalamujić, Deputy Speaker of the KS Assembly Jelena Pekić, Deputy Mayor of Sarajevo Predrag Puharić, Mayor of Novo Sarajevo Municipality Benjamina Karić, representatives of Stari Grad Municipality, Director of the Institute for Construction KS Belma Barlov, representatives of the Ministry of Education KS, JU “Djeca Sarajevo”, Institute for the Development of Pre-University Education, UNICEF and numerous guests.
The opening of the kindergarten “Agan Bostandžić” is part of the wider process of developing the network of preschool institutions in Sarajevo Canton. According to the data of the relevant ministry, preschool education currently includes 40 organizational units of JU “Djeca Sarajeva”, as well as 70 private preschool institutions. The total number of children covered by preschool education today exceeds 10,000, which confirms the continuous growth of coverage and the need for further capacity expansion.
The program of the ceremonial opening was completed by the performances of children from the “Children of Sarajevo” Kindergarten, and the captain of the football team of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Edin Džeko, the UNICEF ambassador, addressed the attendees via video message, who sent words of support to the children, parents and educators and emphasized the importance of investing in the early development of children, reported the KS Protocol and Press Service.
(Vijesti.ba / FENA)
