Safet Halilovic Minister of Civil Affairs Minister of Civil Affairs and the former President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dr. Safet Halilovic has dedicated his career to the field of education. This is especially highlighted in his engagement over the last two years in the process of education reform in his country. Previously, Minister Halilovic has served as Vice-president of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, has acted as Minister of Education, Science and Information in the Sarajevo Canton Government, and was Director of the Bosnian Cultural Center in Sarajevo. Born in 1951, Halilovic is a professor of Political Sciences at the University of Sarajevo.

Education Quality - the Very Best Investment for the Future

Modern social movements, marked by globalization processes, have pushed the “right to education” at the forefront of the basic human rights. We often invoke this right without explicating it. The “right to education” means also the right to equal conditions for education and approximate equal quality in education provided by the educational system to each young person. In order to ensure this, all countries should have an adequate organizational structure of the educational system and act as the guarantor for the realization of all important elements relating to the right to education.

The educational system in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been organized through thirteen, more or less closed, state structures: ten Cantons, two Entities and one District. Each of these units has specific economic and other characteristics, so that the quality and the standard of education as well as the choice of further occupation depends on the place of a child’s birth or living location. In this manner, the right to quality and choice in education of a great number of young people is brought into question.

Being aware of the fact that such a situation can serve to endanger or even disable the creative expression of human potential in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we have initiated a great reform process of the educational system in our country, with a significant support of competent international organizations. Our goal is to reach a unified standard and level of quality of education over the whole country and on all educational levels from pre-school to post-graduate programmes. We are deeply aware that only through the reaching of these standards, we can become equal and respected members of the European and the world community.

Wise countries know that making an investment towards quality in education is the very best investment for the future of that country. Today’s young people have talent, ideas and visions. We must provide them with a system of education that will free and stimulate their creativity but from a context of the culture of peace and respect for others that is equal to the respect we give ourselves.