Training
 The education system in Bosnia and Herzegovina is
complex. School systems, curricula and funding principles
differ between the three political units (Federation of
Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian Republic and the
autonomous district of Brčko). Within the Federation of
Bosnia and Herzegovina, too, the ten cantons differ.
During the Yugoslav era, the same school system and
curricula applied to all of Bosnia and Herzegovina. With the
Dayton agreement, the question of education systems was
linked to the very sensitive language issue. The three
language and cultural groups were therefore given their
teaching system. Serbian-speaking pupils would be taught in
schools with curricula from neighboring Serbia and
Croatian-speaking pupils in classes with curricula from
neighboring Croatia. For the Bosnian (Bosnian Muslim)
majority, a third curriculum was applied, namely the
national one that applied to all schools before the war. The
motives for this division were drawn from international
conventions on children's rights to be taught in their own
language.
At national level, in 2003, a nationwide education system
with common curricula and syllabuses was decided to
facilitate reconciliation between the ethnic groups. The
compulsory, free elementary school was extended to 9 years
(from 6 to 15 years), and later a compulsory one-year
preschool was also introduced. However, the changes are
taking place slowly. At the beginning of the 2010 half, half
of the pupils were still in eight-year primary school. The
lack of resources has meant that preschools have not been
developed and the new syllabuses for increased ethnic
understanding and tolerance have not yet penetrated. In many
cantons, there is great resistance to change and in many
classrooms an ethnic stereotypical image of society is still
transmitted.
The change in 2003 also meant that the high school became
three years for most students. It has both a theoretical and
a vocational branch. Only just over 2/3 of those who have
completed the entire compulsory school continued to the
upper secondary school in 2010. Just over half of a year
that started school completes the high school. This means
that the level of education is lower in Bosnia and
Herzegovina than in the vast majority of countries in
Europe.
Attendance in schools has decreased in recent years. The
main cause is considered poverty; parents have to pay for
teaching materials, other materials and trips to school. 4
percent of six-year-olds did not start school in 2010, and
about one-tenth left before completing primary school. Only
a minor part of the Roma children start school. Even in high
school, many drop-outs occur. Check topschoolsintheusa for test centers of ACT, SAT, and GRE as well high schools in the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Political and administrative complexity also exists in
higher education. Educational policies, laws, regulations
and related funding are determined jointly for the Serbian
Republic but vary within the Federation of Bosnia and
Herzegovina. Harmonization is needed for a single education
system in order for the country to participate in European
cooperation in higher education. But that harmonization is a
time-consuming process.
In 2013, the country had nine publicly funded
universities, 18 private, smaller universities and close to
twenty private colleges with academic undergraduate
education. Largest and oldest is Sarajevo University (Univerzitet
u Sarajevu). Generally, only small funds are allocated
for research and development. The gap is widening between
university education and the needs of the labor market and
unemployment among academics is increasing. Well-educated
young people are increasingly looking abroad.
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