Also, he also referred to current problems, such as strike workers’ strike, and made plans to improve the student standards and support for cultural and sports projects in the canton.
You have downloaded the function of the Minister at a challenging time. What are your main goals and priorities in this position?
I agree fully. The situation is mildly said challenging. But given that every area of social action rests on legal and bylaws, one of my basic priorities – as a Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports HNK – will be amend the existing and adoption of new legislation. In doing so, I mean all levels of education in order to achieve assumptions for acquiring better quality skills and students, as well as the legislation of other areas over which the Ministry has ingearence. Unfortunately, legal and bylaws, which include the Resoror of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the HNK, has long been overcome. Therefore, we immediately joined the development of a series of new legal and bylaws, which aim to systematically resolve the accumulated problems in the Ministry. So, in just a year, we made:
Draft Law on Preschool Education in HNK
Draft Law on Basic Updater and Education in HNK, and
The draft law in culture (which has not had the HNK so far), which were sent to the further law provided for the procedure.
Taking into account the fact is human resources the most important factors in all areas of action, the priority is, of course, the improvement of employee work conditions of all levels of education in HNK. That is why we did new pedagogical standards and norms last year; Ordinance on professional training and advancement of educators and professional associates in preschools and teachers and professional associates in primary schools, and all in order to preserve jobs and enable the process of teachers and professional associates in mentors and advisors.
Also, my goals and priorities are supporting and building educational institutions, providing technical conditions, equipment equipping, cabinet construction and many other projects, which will contribute to the quality implementation of the teaching process.
As a university professor, how are you looking at the future of education in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
The field of education implies a lifelong process that is subject to many modifications and adjustments to modern technological changes. I constantly testify to this, because I spent my whole life in the education system, from teachers to the career of the university professor. In human habitus, man is difficult to accept changes even when they happen in order to progress, and they are the most difficult to be acceptable in the education system and the world research is also confirmed. When it comes to the education system in Bosnia and Herzegovina, its changes are quite slow, and it is inevitable that the education process or curricula needs to be adapted to the needs of students, their commitments, and thus market needs. That is why the changes that changes that contribute to the improvement of the education system, need to integrate into curricula with the aim of providing general education and in the practice of applicable knowledge and skills of our children.
The strike of educators is one of the burning issues in the education sector in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton (HNK). Is there a concrete plan for increasing salaries and improving the working conditions of educators? What is the highest obstacle in the negotiations with the trade unions of educators?
First of all, I want to say that I am extremely sorry that even after a long period we have not reached an agreement with the unions of primary and secondary education in our canton. I do not dispute the fact that in the circumstances in which we live in educators need to increase salaries, however, the providers of the HNK government have been realistic and the only ones achievable. I think that, regardless of court judgments and epilogs, the only solution to dialogue, to mutual satisfaction, reach a deal, and my williness and the willingness of the Government for conversations have never been questionable. That this is the fact that the Ministry, in these little more than a year of term, invested the efforts to preserve jobs, and providing the adoption of amendments to pedagogical standards and the norms of primary education and pedagogical standards and the norms of secondary education, and adopting organizational schemes before the beginning of the school year. In these acts, we reduced the number of students by departments from 18 to 14 (often below 14), which ensured that our teachers do not lose the norm or not to become a technological excess. Also, amendments to the standards, the assumptions for the engagement of another professional associate (psychologist, social worker, speech therapy), as well as teaching assistants, which has not been case so far.
I really believe it’s time to go back to the negotiating table. That is why I invite our social partners on this occasion to start negotiations for the adoption of new collective agreements and achieve a compromise and the best solution for both parties.
You have announced the reform of the education system. What are the key changes you plan to spend?
When it comes to the level of preschool education, drafting the Law on Preschool and Education, a mandatory preschool program is provided, which unfortunately, the only Herzegovinian-Neretva Canton is still none. In this way, we want children to go to school at the age of school for the fact that a better-quality way to prepare for primary education.
In the context of primary education, the results of international research, PISA, Teams and Icills have shown that the reforms in the education system are in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and thus the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton is necessary. In this regard, the Ministry is 2024. year, with the support of the OSCE Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the decision on the implementation of experimental curricula in five primary schools, and in parallel, the coordination body for monitoring and the development of curricula formed Program in primary schools. We expect to complete the implementation of new curriculum and the full implementation of the new curricula, which will show the continued monitoring of its performance in the field – our students receive adequate education adapted to European standards. Also, in the coming period, we plan to launch the Law on High School Education, and when it comes to higher education, the Ministry has established a workgroup that completed the work group last year last year. All these activities in essence imply the deep education reform in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton.
The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports HNK is scholarships of each student who meets formal legal conditions. Given the recent reduction of the scholarship amount, a scholarship allowance for certain categories of students was introduced? Can you clarify how this addendum works, who is entitled to it?
The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports have made a new rulebook on the allocation of scholarships that implies a basic scholarship plus supplements on a scholarship based on four categories: for the success of the student in school, ie study; Social and material status of the student; Interference deficit and accommodation in the student’s home. What is almost not mentioned in the public space is the fact that we have defined this rulebook that every student in the area of HNK, which meets the formal legal terms, assigned a scholarship, and that has not done any cantons so far. By assigning the additions to the basic scholarship, we aim to motivate students to choose from the market, to encourage students to achieve as much results and exceptional successes, to support the students and students of lower social and material status, as well as support The work of student centers, operating within our public higher education institutions. The basic scholarship will be 130 km this year. On this, students will be right by one of the four categories, get a supplement. Accordingly, we aims to support our students in the back, to work, investigate and acquire new knowledge that will use the labor market, and thus the basis of our country will do a better place to live. The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of HNK is scholared 2,800 students for which we single out 4,300,000 KM, and our goal is to increase this amount in the coming period. These are the facts we are proud of and testifying in favor of our commitment to improve the conditions of the student standard.
In addition to education, your ministry covers both culture and sports. What are the main projects in these areas?
Given that the area of culture is of public interest for our canton and that the hardships in the field of culture often arise from insufficient legal regulations in the canton, a need to adopt the Law on Culture of HNK as a systemic solution, which will regulate basic issues of importance for culture. For the first time, the Ministry, on whose forehead, decided to start editing this area. In this regard, since last year we drafted the Law on Culture, which was adopted at the HNK Assembly. Considering the fact that the law arose from the real need to change the situation in culture, in accordance with its importance and the role of the company, I will have the best solution and extremely high-quality legal framework after the discussion of all participants. , I repeat, so far we haven’t had in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton.
The area of sports is another area that has been systemic for years. In this regard, in the context of supporting sports collectives and individuals, the Ministry is conducting a public call on the basis of which we assign funds that can be significant facilities in work and action. However, considering that it is equally as culture, and the area of the sport is necessary to systematically regulate, the Ministry will prepare the draft Law on Sports in the HNK in the coming period.
What is your long-term goal as a minister of education? If you could make one big change in the education system, which would it be and why?
As I have already said, any activity rests on legal frameworks, which is kept to step with trends and supplement. Therefore, my goal is to comply with the possibilities of the Ministry, but also the Government of the HNK, we make laws that will be the foundation of education, science, culture and sports. Without quality legal and bylaws, we cannot expect essential changes that our society is very needed. That is why my commitment is that together with the employees of the Ministry and with the support of colleagues from the Government, we work in the development and adoption of laws and other acts to improve the areas over which the Ministry has ingredence. This means that if I could make a great change in education, I would improve the legislation in order to create opportunities for the acquisition of competencies and students who need them in today’s time, and created for continuous improvement of the material status of teaching staff, cultural and public workers in our canton.
(Vijesti.ba)
