About the applicant
The first school in our area began operating in 1874 and the school operated until the beginning of World War II, or more precisely until 1940. After the aforementioned war, the school was demolished and the materials were used to build an elementary school in Podorašje. The school in Podorašje began operating in 1947 in the local mekteb, and in 1949 the first school building was built with two classrooms, office space and an apartment for teachers.
The central school building in Podorašje, as well as the school itself, is one of the oldest educational institutions in the Srebrenik district. Our school currently has 442 students and 54 employees. We are particularly proud of the fact that we are one of the most successful schools in the Tuzla Canton and can boast of the numerous awards that our students have won at municipal, cantonal and state competitions.
The public institution Podorašje Primary School, Podorašje, Srebrenik, organizes the work of district schools in its school area:
– Regional four-grade school Jasenica
– Regional four-grade school Lisovići
– Regional four-grade school Zahirovići
– Regional nine-year school Gornja Maoča
All our district schools work in extremely difficult conditions without proper equipment for work.
The branch schools in Lisovići, Zahirovići and Jasenica were built between 1953 and 1958 and are in very poor condition. All the buildings are in very poor condition, the walls are cracked, the roofs are leaking, the carpentry in the schools is from the 1980s, which makes it difficult to heat the school premises. We are particularly concerned about the fact that our branch school in Lisovići is the only public institution in Bosnia and Herzegovina that was damaged in the earthquake that hit our country on 30.08.2019.
In particular, the most difficult and critical situation is in the Gornja Maoča nine-year branch school in Gornja Maoča. The aforementioned Gornja Maoča school was built in 1966 and is 75 kilometers away from the central school. Road communication is difficult and it is reached partly by a macadam road that is in a catastrophic state. However, we are pleased with the fact that every year the number of children enrolled in that branch school increases, so that this year we have 63 students enrolled, which makes us very happy, now at a time when the number of students in almost all schools in BiH is rapidly decreasing. In this regard, the aforementioned data obliges us to provide these students with the best possible conditions for their education. In addition to road communication, the problem is also that most students are in very poor financial condition.
School inventory and equipment used daily are in very poor condition. Unfortunately, teachers are forced to use older teaching aids and supplies, while school inventory (tables and chairs) that are also used in teaching were purchased before the war and are therefore very old and worn out. The most difficult situation is for the subject of computer science because teaching is primarily conducted practically using computers, and the computers in that branch school were purchased 10 years ago and the vast majority of them are no longer functional.
The building of the central school in Podorašje was built in 1976 and thanks to a donation from the US Embassy, it was renovated in 2018. The central school building has a total of 8 classrooms and 2 classrooms for primary school students. The problem in the central school is the central heating system, which was built in the seventies of the last century. The radiators are very old, the pipes are worn out and often burst, which makes it difficult for us to carry out the teaching process normally.
However, a problem that affects both the central and all regional schools is the lack of quality school equipment. The desks, chairs and blackboards in the central school were purchased in the late 1990s, while the situation in the regional schools is even worse. Most of the school equipment in the regional schools dates back to the 1980s, which is a devastating fact for us.
Number of classes and students:
Central school in Podorašje – 14 classes; 289 students
Lisovići branch school – 2 classes; 38 students
Regional school in Zahirovići – 2 classes; 32 students
Jasenica branch school – 2 classes; 20 students
Regional school in Gornja Maoča – 5 classes; 63 students
The total number of students in Junior High School “Podorašje” is 442.
The central school has an IT lab with 14 computers, which are unfortunately outdated. The regional nine-year school in Gornja Maoča unfortunately does not have a single computer, and 6 computers are needed.
For assistance in purchasing furniture and teaching aids, we turned to the humanitarian organization of Bosniaks in Denmark, “Most-bro”, which operates within the Islamic Community of Bosniaks in Denmark, where representatives from all 14 congregations are represented. The organization collects and distributes humanitarian aid and donations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the last few years, there has been a huge need for school equipment in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the organization has also focused on this direction. So far, dozens of trucks with school boards, chairs, tables, computers, projectors and other small equipment have been sent to schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The aforementioned organization has an agreement with the local Ministry of Education, and this agreement relates to school equipment that the Ministry donates to the organization “Most-bro”, and after that, this organization donates school equipment to schools located in Bosnia and Herzegovina. When we contacted the aforementioned organization, they emphasized to us that our school is obliged to provide funds for the transport of school equipment. From their experience, the transport and paperwork for this type of assistance amounts to 5,400 KM. Unfortunately, our school is unable to provide the full amount for transportation costs, and therefore we are turning to you for help in obtaining high-quality equipment that will certainly serve many generations to come.
Acting School Director
/Hrustic Armin/
