On Saturday, September 21st of this year, a Seminar for teachers and coordinators of BiH supplementary schools in Great Britain was held in the premises of the Bosnian House. In addition to educators and coordinators, the meeting was also attended by long-time volunteers of BiH supplementary schools. The seminar was attended by: Almin Kazić. Arnela Pašić, Semira Jakupović, Meho Jakupović, Azra Bašić, Emir Bolić, Sadija Muminović, Belma Muhamedagić, Sabit Jakupović, Biljana Lučić, H.E Vanja Filipović, Zaim Pašić, Fejzi Jahaj, Ferid Kevrić and Remzudin Alihodžić.
The seminar was opened by Zaim Pašić, President of BH UK Network, with warm words of welcome and the agenda of the seminar. The meeting was chaired by Sabit Jakupović.
This Seminar is of exceptional importance for BiH supplementary education on the Island, where all attendees exchange their experiences, problems they face in supplementary education, and suggestions and advice. The Seminar will be remembered for the presence of representatives of the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the United Kingdom, H.E. Vanja Filipović and Biljana Lučić, First Secretary. Ambassador Filipović thanked for the welcome and joined the opinion of those present on the importance of preserving institutions that fight to preserve our language and cultural identity from oblivion. He emphasized the will for better cooperation between the BH Embassy and the BH UK Network, and promised to visit all BiH supplementary schools in the United Kingdom in the coming period.
All present highlighted the fact that there is little progress in the assistance of the competent institutions for supplementary education in BiH, mostly through the distribution of textbooks on the Cultural and Social History of BiH from grades 1 to 4 last year. It was highlighted that BiH supplementary schools in the UK operate under BiH associations and religious communities and are not included in regular schools, but have survived thanks to the exceptional efforts of volunteers and enthusiasts for more than 20 years, which is commendable.
It is well known that in the late 1990s there were 11 supplementary schools operating under the auspices of the BH UK Network, and now only five are active, with the current active work on opening a BH supplementary school in Manchester. Unfortunately, the schools in Luton, Dewsbury, Guildford, Hull and Ockendon have ceased operations.
On this occasion, teachers and coordinators presented the work of their schools and the financial difficulties faced by BH supplementary schools in Great Britain. The most common problems faced by supplementary schools are finding new funds and renting and paying for rooms for holding classes. Also, it was pointed out the increasing frequency of children who speak English more and more in their family circle, instead of the Bosnian language, and it is necessary to involve more young people in the work of BiH supplementary education. They all agreed that the existing curriculum should be more adapted to the students, since they are children who were born in Great Britain, and that there are children of different ages in the same classroom.
All teachers mentioned that schools promote our history, culture and national identity both through regular classes and through organizing celebrations of the Statehood Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Independence Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Srebrenica commemorations, School Gatherings in the UK and the like. In order to better get to know our children living throughout Great Britain, schools should visit each other whenever possible and organize joint classes. However, it is the younger generations who have enormous potential and are important in preserving the continuity of our supplementary schools.
