Two Schools Under One Roof | How Education Still Divides Bosnia and Herzegovina

An Englishman in the Balkans is a weekly podcast about the people, places and everyday life of Bosnia and Herzegovina, told by David Bailey, who has lived here for more than 25 years. New episodes arrive every Tuesday.

One of the things I have learned during more than 25 years of living in Bosnia and Herzegovina is that this is a country that cannot be understood quickly.

Its history is not confined to museums, memorials or political speeches. It continues to influence everyday life, including the way some children are educated.

In this episode, I explore the system known as “two schools under one roof.” Introduced after the war as a temporary solution in divided communities, it allowed children from different ethnic groups to attend the same school building while often remaining separated by entrances, classrooms, teachers, timetables and curricula.

Although the number of these schools has declined, the system still exists in parts of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

I also look at the wider structure of education in the country. Bosnia and Herzegovina has no single national curriculum, which means that children may learn different versions of history, literature, language and identity depending on where they live.

This is not an attempt to tell people here how their schools should operate. I am not an education expert, and I do not pretend that there are simple answers.

Instead, I want to ask a quieter but important question: what kind of country are today’s children being prepared to inherit?

Because schools do more than teach mathematics, science and geography. They also influence how young people understand their neighbours, their history and their place within society.

After more than a quarter of a century in Bosnia and Herzegovina, I have learned that understanding rarely begins with certainty. It begins with curiosity.history is not confined to museums, memorials or political speeches. It continues to influence everyday life — including the way some children are educated.

In this episode, I explore the system known as “two schools under one roof.” Introduced after the war as a temporary solution in divided communities, it allowed children from different ethnic groups to attend the same school building while often remaining separated by entrances, classrooms, teachers, timetables and curricula.

Although the number of these schools has declined, the system still exists in parts of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

I also look at the wider structure of education in the country. Bosnia and Herzegovina has no single national curriculum, which means that children may learn different versions of history, literature, language and identity depending on where they live.

This is not an attempt to tell people here how their schools should operate. I am not an education expert, and I do not pretend that there are simple answers.

Instead, I want to ask a quieter but important question: what kind of country are today’s children being prepared to inherit?

Because schools do more than teach mathematics, science and geography. They also influence how young people understand their neighbours, their history and their place within society.

After more than a quarter of a century in Bosnia and Herzegovina, I have learned that understanding rarely begins with certainty. It begins with curiosity.

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Every episode, and more about my life here, is at anenglishmaninthebalkans.com.

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