Regional Conference took place in August, 2010 in Jahorina, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Despite efforts for more than a decade in ex-Yugoslavian countries to improve access to quality education for all children, especially those from marginalized and vulnerable groups, there presently remain many problems. Children, especially in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Kosovo, are the victims of discrimination and segregation in the educational systems. While the majority of the countries in the region have good legislation on children's rights, there is a huge gap between policies and practice. Poor coordination between civil society organizatons and limited resources and capacities exacerbate the problem. Parents and teachers must become more interconnected and organized in order to become agents of change in education reform. In the long run, such problems in the education system pose a threat to the security of the region.
In response to these problems, the UNICEF Office for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Save the Children Norway, the Regional Office for South East Europe and the Open Society Fund BH united in 2008 to initiate the Campaign for a Righteous Education System in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A righteous education describes the commitment of a society to maintain a fully accountable education system that provides quality education to all children. Together with CEI Step by Step, the Initiative has established 3 goals: 1) to inform and mobilize the public and educational actors about the problem of discrimination in schools and its consequences to children and society in general; 2) to advocate for concrete measures that address inequality and improve the quality of education; 3) to form, engage and build consensus among a Strategic Coaltion comprised of a diverse group of organizations and individuals, who will take part in the Initiative goals and monitor the implementation of educational reform in 2010 and beyond.
In order to accomplish the outlined goals, the Initiative will focus on 5 key areas: 1) providing equal access to quality education regardless of a child's background; 2) establishing quality education as a precondition for preparing children for life in the 21st century; 3) maintaining safe and well equipped schools; 4) presenting education based on universal humanistic values, which respect differences and social justice; 5) establishing efficient and rational financing in education and managing a monitoring system for the implementation of laws.
To support the goals and key focus areas, the Initiative organized a Regional Conference in August 2010 entitled, "Closing the gap between policy and practice - the role of education in building a rightful society." The aims of the Conference were to build the capacity of and empower the participants to become agents of change in the development of a rightful society through an educational system based on children's rights and social justice; and to combat prejudices and all forms of discrimination and oppression in education. The Conference brought together more than 200 Coalition members, professionals, practitioners, parents, students and policy makers. Experts from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region conducted more than 35 workshops, round tables, open forums and debates, presented documentaries, promoted new books, planned joint actions and inspired each other.
The three-day conference was organized around a "NAMING-ACTING-BUILDING ALLIES" framework. The objective of Day 1, "NAMING," was to reach a common understanding about concepts such as discrimination, oppression, social justice, and quality, and to recognize examples of policies and practices in the region that perpetuate oppression and also those that fight against it. During Day 2, "ACTING," participants were empowered to become agents of change through leading or joining activities aimed at combating every form of discrimination and oppression in education and in society in general. Day 3, "BUILDING ALLIES," involved exploring opportunities to build stronger, more effective cooperation within the civil society sector and among various NGO's, policy makers, professionals, parents and students in the region in order to protect every child's right to quality education.
At the conclusion of the Conference, the more than 200 participants signed a pledge to take action to promote understanding among groups in society and to work to provide equal access to quality education to all children, regardless of background. Through their dedication and their actions, these agents of change will paint a bright future for Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region, as they work to mitigate discrimination in the region and to uphold a child's right to equal access to quality education.
More details on the event are available in this document.
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