The Bosnian School and Society Manchester (BSSM) marked the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Bosnian and Herzegovina supplementary school and the 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide. The event was organized online, via the Zoom application. More than fifteen participants addressed the event live or via video, and an average of around 70 people followed the event.
After many years of operation, the Bosnian Supplementary School Manchester added the name of the association and has since then actively participated in events organized by Remembering Srebrenica. As part of the program, the school coordinator Sadija Muminović presented the work and activities of the school. Guests/participants in the program were from different fields of activity who, with their speeches, enhanced and further enriched this event. On this occasion, the guests were also addressed by His Excellency Vanja Filipović, Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the United Kingdom, who thanked the school team for the leadership and perseverance of the school and the association, which requires a lot of effort. The gathering was also addressed by MP Afzal Khan, who emphasized the importance of the school’s existence, but also the lesson he learned because of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Jenny Pattterson from the Manchester City Administration stated that the Bosnian School is one of the first to be registered, out of the existing 153 schools in Manchester in the field of supplementary education. She also emphasized that BSSM was among the first to show willingness to cooperate in the community as well as to participate in the education of school management staff. The gathering was also addressed by Mr. Anes Cerić, manager of the BH UK Network, who emphasized the importance of the existence and survival of the BH supplementary school in this part of England.
The school is registered as a supplementary school and a charitable organization. Thanks to parents, teachers, children, as well as the Manchester City Council, the Bosnia and Herzegovina Embassy and the BH UK network, the school has survived all these years and has not closed down, although there have been many challenging moments. This effort has been recognized by the awarding of various awards to the school, such as the annual city council award for the best teacher and student, and the bronze and silver awards that were awarded as an excellent example of connecting schools and cultures. The school is particularly proud of the Queen Elizabeth II award for the school’s volunteer work, especially for its activities around the organization of events marking the anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide.
The online program held this month has been well received by the local community in Manchester. A large number of interested parties submitted their address via video recording, which unfortunately could not be shown due to time constraints, but will be published later on the school’s Facebook page. The address of the teachers, parents, and students of this school who are now adults and very integrated members of the local community was especially notable and moving. The address of the former student Nabila Čohažić was particularly noteworthy, who mentioned that she continued to work as an assistant teacher-volunteer at the school and is already getting her children used to school even though they are small, but all according to the method of her dear teacher Azra Marošević.
The program organizer would like to express his special gratitude to all those who, with their work and participation, contributed to the successful implementation of this program.
