Nezavisne novine: In the Livanjski and Zapadno-hercegovački canton there are still no plans of the introduction of a native language or a national group of classes for Bosniak and Serbian children. Several thousands of children of Bosniak and Serbian nationality in the cantons with majority of Croatian citizens generally remain without the right to educate themselves in their native language. According to the Constitution of the FBiH, all the three languages and two scripts must be equal and nobody has a right to turn down the right on a native language and script to some persons of certain nationality.
The exceptions in cantons with majority of Croatian citizens are only the Elementary school in Glamoč, where the Bosniak children have Bosnian language and the Elementary school "Orašje" in Orašje, but only for the children from fifth to eight grade, which have Bosnian language.In the Posavski canton they announce that the next school year Bosnian language should be inserted in the Elementary school in Odžak as well. Tahir Redžepović, chairman of the Municipal board of the Socio-Democratic Action, says that in Posavski canton there are around 4.000 children of Bosniak nationality.
"According to the Constitution of the FBiH and cantonal Law on elementary education, the Ministry of Education is obligated to impose the Bosnian language. After the ten-year fight, Bosnian language has been imposed for the students from fifth to eight grade of the Elementary school 'Orašje'. There is no Bosnian language in lower grades or in the high schools. Even bigger paradox was in Odžak, where the parents and children have had the possibility to have at the end of the year in their diplomas Bosnian language, even though they have had a Croatian language during that year", Redžepović has said.
Mrijan Živković, Minster of Education of this canton, thinks that for the children it is not a confusion to learn Croatian language from fourth grade, then Bosnian and again Croatian in high school. "Once, everything comes to its place for children. In the schools of this canton there are not many children of Serbian nationality. We cannot organize the classes of Serbian language just for the two students of Serbian nationality", Živković has said. He has added that he is against the introduction of national group of subjects, because he does not want to "make two schools under one roof".
In the elementary and high schools in Livanjski canton around 900 children of Bosniak nationality have been registered, while only a few of them are of Serbian nationality.
In the Municipal Council of Livno we have been told that several years ago there has unsuccessfully been started an initiative to impose the Bosnian language in schools. "The excuse was that there were not enough children of Bosniak and Serbian nationality in classes in order for them to organize the classes from their native language, or the lecturers. The Croatian professors did not want to lecture any other language besides Croatian. The Ministry was suggested that Bosniak children can listen to the Bosnian language at the same time while the Croatian children listen to Croatian. The Ministry did not want to hire the lecturer", has been said in the Municipal Council of Livno.
The answer from Gordana Cikojević, Minister of Education, we have not received yesterday because she was not answering our calls.
Mario Mikulić from the Ministry of Education of the Zapadno-hercegovački canton says that there was never a need to insert Bosnian or Serbian language in the elementary and high schools, because there were not enough children. "Even before the war, this canton did not have many Serbs. Bosniaks were only in Ljubuški", Mikulić has said.