Aiming to strengthen the commitment to implement education policies in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), the joint European Union and Council of Europe action “Quality education for all” organised a study visit for members of its Advisory Board on 8 and 9 November.

The visit was organised for representatives of beneficiary institutions including the Ministry of Civil Affairs of BiH, the Ministry of Education and Culture of Republika Srpska, the Federal Ministry of Education and Science, Cantonal Ministries of Education and the Department for Education of the Government of Brčko District.

Members had the opportunity to visit Strasbourg and take part in the closing session of the World Forum for Democracy where participants coming from different parts of the world exchanged views and experiences on democracy as a way of promoting peace. During the study visit they were also welcomed by representatives of the Permanent representation of BiH to the CoE, including Ambassador Haris Bašić who briefed them about the current relationship with the Council of Europe and its importance for the country.

The visit to Strasbourg was also an opportunity to organise the 2nd meeting of the Advisory Board hosted by the Education Department of the Council of Europe and chaired by Sarah Keating, the Head of the Division for Formal and Non-formal Education.

Members took note of the results achieved in the previous period and discussed the current state of affairs. “Important achievements have emerged from the reports and work done on the ground with the pilot schools. The objectives and results of the action are clearly linked to the three pillars of the Council of Europe’s Education strategy, and the upscaling of the results of the action as well as regional cooperation remain an important part of the implementation process”, stated Keating. However, additional efforts are required from education authorities for the implementation of the Policy recommendations with a Roadmap for improving inclusive education and more work needs to be done in this area.  

This action “Quality education for all” is part of the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”.