Teachers from across Bosnia and Herzegovina are shaping more inclusive and democratic future through innovative training on the Reference Framework of the Competences for Democratic Culture (RFCDC). From 11-13 February, teachers from primary and secondary schools in Brčko, Goražde, Orašje, Srebrenik, and Zenica gathered in Brčko for a three-day seminar gaining new methods and tools to improve democratic school culture in their classrooms.

Building on previous successful trainings, experienced educators from the Fourth primary school in Brčko and the Secondary school in Čelić, took on new roles as mentors helping their peers develop skills for a more inclusive and participatory teaching process.  

“This training will have an impact on how I approach my work in the classroom, and I leave this place with a new outlook. The discussions we had in the past few days created space and freedom to bring into question some of the myths around education and the teaching process while providing us with the opportunity to not only discuss these topics openly, but also seek answers on how to continue moving forward”, said one of the teachers from the primary school “Fahrudin Fahro Baščelija” in Goražde.

A strong and supportive teaching community is one where experiences are shared, challenges are faced together, and lifelong learning is embraced. By focusing on activities that, through professional development, mentorship and collaboration, empower teachers to innovate and create inclusive, child-centred classrooms, the joint European Union and Council of Europe action “Quality Education for All” in Bosnia and Herzegovina promotes education as a social value and a basic human right.

This training seminar continues a series of related activities under way in different parts of the country. On 30 January, teachers from four schools in Bugojno, Novi Travnik, and Vitez supported by their peers from Kiseljak had an opportunity to enhance critical thinking skills and tools that can be used in the classroom to engage with pupils and create a more open, democratic school culture. Such activities are followed up by mentoring visits to schools to help teachers who have undergone trainings to receive concrete feedback on the completed tasks and activities and to monitor its application in the classroom.

These activities also enable teachers to build links and work together, which is especially important for multi-ethnic communities. For instance, a teacher from the primary school in Vitez (which teaches in Croatian) reported that she and her students participated in an event organised by the local primary school (which teaches in Bosnian). They say it was the first time that students from one school attended an event organized by a neighboring school.  In the future, they plan to continue organising visits and broadening their cooperation. In this way, teachers play a crucial role in creating experiences which can make a lasting difference in the lives of pupils while at the same time contributing to a more inclusive and democratic society. 

The 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”.