Joint Programme

Horizontal Facility

The new school year in Orašje has begun on an inspiring note. For students and teachers of the School Centre fra Martin Nedić, this period marks more than just a return to classrooms — it marks the beginning of a new chapter as the school joins Bosnia and Herzegovina’s growing network of Resource Centres for Democratic School Culture.

The official opening ceremony, held in the school’s full amphitheatre, gathered teachers, students and the students’ council, parents’ council, pedagogues from primary and secondary schools, coordinators from the Civitas’ “Project Citizen” initiative and representatives of education authorities.

Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Posavina Canton Ana Andrić expressed her satisfaction that this school has been selected as the fifth Resource Centre for Democratic School Culture in BiH, where students and teachers will learn about democratic values, inclusiveness, and critical thinking.  “I see the opening of the Resource Centre as an important and symbolic step towards higher-quality and more accessible education for every child. From this place, and with the support of this project, we continue to build schools where every child has the right to learn, grow, and be included. This should serve as an example of how students, teachers, and the local community together build schools where respect, dialogue, and cooperation are lived every day”, noted Minister Andric.

The principle of the school, Dijana Pejić, warmly welcomed the participants saying that they are proudly opening the centre for democratic culture as a place where people will learn how to listen, respect, communicate, and build a better society together. “As Nelson Mandela noted – ‘education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the  world’ - and it is precisely along this path that we are walking today”, Pejić noted.

Adnan Pripoljac, Deputy Executive Director of the Center for Educational Initiatives Step by Step, the key implementing partner in this initiative, said that "as an organisation that has been providing opportunities for teachers’ professional development for almost 30 years, we believe that teachers are the key resource for quality education, and that only quality education can foster a democratic culture among students. Under our mentorship, teachers have been bringing competences for democratic culture into everyday school life, into the classrooms, and in this way supporting their students to live democratic values," Pripoljac concluded.

After the opening ceremony and a video presentation of the project’s impact prepared by the school’s staff, the four trainers from the school held a workshop on the project’s goals and on the Reference Framework for Competences for Democratic Culture for pedagogues from primary and secondary schools and coordinators from the Civitas’ “Project Citizen” initiative from their community.

As a new resource centre, the school will serve as a hub for democratic values and inclusive learning - supporting also other schools in the community in promoting respect, dialogue, participation, and equality by sharing knowledge, skills, tools and practices that help teachers and schools strengthen democratic culture in everyday life and bring systemic changes. The work of the centres shows that education can be a driver of positive social change — not only in classrooms, but throughout the entire community.

The opening of this resource centre in Orašje marks an important step towards ensuring that every student in Bosnia and Herzegovina learns in an environment grounded in respect, inclusion, and participation—values at the heart of the Council of Europe’s vision for quality education for all.

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”.