TEXTBOOK REVISION IN BIH  Textbook Revision Process: - Why? - By Whom? - What Subject Areas?

TEXTBOOK REVISION IN BIH  Bosnia and Herzegovina is comprised of two entities: Republika Srpska and Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina  F BiH is comprised of ten Cantons  Brçko District as an autonomous unit  Constituent peoples

TEXTBOOK REVISION IN BIH  Jurisdiction for educational matters: - RS highly centralized - FBIH decentralized - Cantons responsible for education - Brçko District autonomous

TEXTBOOK REVISION IN BIH  The role of the international community  The role of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina

TEXTBOOK REVISION IN BIH  Common Core Curriculum  CIVITAS  Textbook Production  Textbooks from Other Countries

TEXTBOOK REVISION IN BIH  The last process March – July 2003  Process initiated by the Entity Ministries of Education  Process facilitated by the OSCE Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina  300 primary and high school textbooks were revised  Composition of the Commission

The main aim of the textbook revision process was to:  Remove inappropriate terminology from textbooks  An interim measure in ensuring that the education is free from political, religious, cultural and other bias and discrimination which respects the rights of all children.

TEXTBOOK REVISION IN BIH  The process included the so-called national group of subjects: - mother tongue and literature - history - geography - nature and science - religious instruction

TEXTBOOK REVISION IN BIH  Harmonized Issues in History :  Presentation of historical maps  Terms such as ‘slaughtered’, ‘brutal rule/authority’ have been removed  In addition to sufferings of one people, sufferings of two other peoples are mentioned as well.

TEXTBOOK REVISION IN BIH  Unharmonized Issues in History:  Issues of terminology  Ethnic background and names of significant people(s) in the history textbooks  Uneven representation of other constituent people(s)

TEXTBOOK REVISION IN BIH  Unharmonized Issues in History :  One-sided representation of historical events from perspective of only one constituent people (presented in either a victorious role or as the victims)

TEXTBOOK REVISION IN BIH  Unharmonized Issues in History:  Biased representation of historical content, particularly the recent war (issues such as describing population migrations, or the suffering of people)

TEXTBOOK REVISION IN BIH  Main Conclusions in Geography :  Examples given in the textbooks should come from within Bosnia and Herzegovina  The terms: “aggression”, “inter-entity” or “civil war” should be replaced and the term to be used is “war” only

TEXTBOOK REVISION IN BIH  Main Conclusions in Geography:  The naming of towns  Maps of Bosnia and Herzegovina should have inter-entity boundary line  Formulations defining area of Bosnia and Herzegovina as the area of the former Yugoslavia should be removed.

TEXTBOOK REVISION IN BIH  Next Steps: The establishment of the Independent Commission on Textbook Writing with the aim to develop guidelines for textbook authors.

TEXTBOOK REVISION IN BIH  Next Steps: Students have a basic understanding of the history and geography of all three constituent people and national minorities.

TEXTBOOK REVISION IN BIH  Next Steps: The three constituent peoples and national minorities are presented in a balanced manner.

TEXTBOOK REVISION IN BIH  Next Steps: Contested interpretations of proscribed curriculum content are addressed in a manner appropriate to all three constituent peoples and national minorities.

TEXTBOOK REVISION IN BIH  Next Steps: Neighboring countries are presented in a balanced manner.

TEXTBOOK REVISION IN BIH  Next Steps: Interactive teaching and comparative methodological approaches are applied in textbook writing.