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International Education in post-crisissocieties: the UWC-IBO Initiative in

Bosnia-Herzegovina

Building Bridges14th International Council Meeting 6-8 October, 2005, UWC of South East Asia, Singapore

Old Bridge of Mostar, 1993 Old Bridge of Mostar, 2004

Your Excellencies, Dear Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends,

Last week television news in Bosnia and Herzegovina showed pictures of cryingchildren outside a school building. Instead of being able to start the new school yearin that building next to their homes, politicians had told them to walk 17 kilometresto a school in the next village. The problem was not the understanding of the language of tuition, nor the race or colour. It was religious nationalism whichcontinues to segregate children of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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Consequences of Bosnian War (1992-95)

• 150 000 dead, mostlycivilians

• 60% of householdsdamaged

• tens of thousands raped• 2 million refugees• 15 000 still missing

Old town of Mostar during the War

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a post-conflict and post-crisis society. In the civil war1992-95:

-approximately 150.000 people died, most of them civlilians. For each death soldierthere were nine civilian victims-60% of all households were destoyed or severely damaged-tens of thousands women and girls were raped-2 million, half of the population, became refugees or displaced-15 000 are still missing-the previously multi-national society is left deeply divided following the war-timefrontlines

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National Composition of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1991 and 1998

This map demonstrates how the outcome of the Bosnian war was successful ethniccleansing in 1990s’ Europe:

green colour describes the dominance of Bosnian Muslim population, blue the dominance of Bosnian Croat population and red the dominance of Bosnian Serbpopulation. On the left the pre-war situation where, as you can see, most of the country is entirely mixed while on the right the post-war situation which continues to be still in place in 2005 showing nationally divided territories. To the yellow colourwe will come later.

White line describes the official division of the country into two entitires, SerbRepublic and the Federation of Bosniacs and Croats. The Federation further dividesinto 10 cantons with broad autonomy.

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14 Ministers of education, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2005

As a result, the situation in education looks like this: 14 ministers of education for 4 million people, three separate and often hostile curricula forcing children to choosesides and live segregated. No external evaluation exists, no reform has been done.

What could international education and United World Colleges do in suchcircumstances? Could it do anything?

[Pause]

About five years ago at the initiative of the Adriatic College and Bosnian UWC national committee this question was first time asked in the Bosnian context: couldUWC and international education do anything? The immediate answer was setting up a regionally focused UWC college just outside Sarajevo which would demonstrate international understanding.

The feedback and experience over five years in Bosnia, a post-conflict society, hasdeveloped the thinking and led to a proposal of new kind in the UWC context. Regarding the development of conceptual thinking and lesson learnt over five yearsI would invite you all to read the article of David Sutcliffe in the new United World on page 16.

The work has until now been funded by y the listed institutions and individualswithout whom the work had not been possible.

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Donors of the UWC-IBO Initiative, Sep 2005• Preparatory phase

2002-2004

– Adriatic College– Antonin B. Besse– Finnish Cultural

Foundation

• Launch phase 2005-2006– Norwegian ministry of

Foreign Affairs– Finnish Cultural

Foundation– Norwegian Embassy in

Sarajevo– Finnish UWC Network– German UWC Network– Greg Crafter Fund– Cynthia Baxter, Stephen

Barker, Philip Green, Seppo Honkapohja, Matti Hovila, Kaisu Luiro, Kirsi Munck, Laura Peuhkuri, Anke Steenken, BertTwaalfhoven

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Old Town of Mostar during the War

The core of the joint proposal of United World Colleges and International Baccalaureate Organization is the city of Mostar. Before the war Mostar was the most mixed city of Bosnia and Herzegovina. There were roughly 100 000 inhabitants, app. 40 per cent of marriages were mixed.

The war destroyed the city seriously. Most of the Serb population left and the remaining Croats and Bosniacs continue to live in a city divided almost like the cold-war Berlin. So on one hand Mostar is one of the few remaining truly multinationalplaces in Bosnia for there are still two major national groups. Therefore it is yellowon the map, yellow meaning the Muslim-Boscniac and Croat mix in the middle of nationally pure green, blue and red territories. The reality, however, is thateverything is in two: hospitals, firestations, police, post offices, mobile networks and so forth.

The schooling is also divided into two.

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Street in the formerfrontline, city of Mostar, September 2005

The dividing line of the city is the former main street which became the frontlineduring the war. Today it looks like this. The Mostar Gymnasium is located on thisstreet. The architecturally valuable Austro-Hungarian-time Gymnasium used to beone of the finest schools in former Yugoslavia and it continues to have extremesymbolic value and importance for the city of Mostar and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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Mostar Gymnasium on the right, the former borderline streeton the left, September 2005

The Gymnasium was badly destroyed in the war and the building was also used for shooting. In late 1990s part of the ground floor was used by the Croats. Americansoffered over 1 millions dollar donation for the school reconstruction with the conditions that it would become a mixed school again. The offer was rejected by the Croat politicians who did not want the Bosniacs to return.

Since 2003 the international community in Bosnia has been working to revitalise the Mostar Gymnasium and make it a model school for the rest of the country. in 2004 the middle floor was reconstructed and Bosniac-Muslim pupils and teachersreturned to the building first time after the war. Now there are two separatecurriculas, Croat and Bosniac taught within the building.

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UWC-IBO Initiative• To create a regional centre of educational

excellence and leadership in MostarGymnasium

– 30/100 students UWC scholarship students from other countries, 70/100 local students from all Bosnian communities

– experienced UWC-IB teachers, local teachers to take over the major part of the teaching gradually

– teacher trainings and educational resource centre

• To assist the Gymnazium in Banja Luka to introduce the IB program and to support the Druga Gymnazium in Sarajevo to develop its IB program and increase its influence

United World Colleges and International Baccalaureate Organization are working as part of thatrevitalisation plan of Mostar Gymnasium, part of the process of creating first integrated school in the country. The proposal is the following:

To create a regional centre of educational excellence and leadership within the Mostar Gymnasium-start in 2006 teaching of the IB for about 100 students under the leadership of UWC-IBO. 30 per cent of the students would be UWC scholarship students from other countries, mainly from the South East Europe region. The remaining 70 percent should be local students from all national communities in Bosnia with the emphasis on Mostar region. -in the beginning majority of the teachers should be experienced UWC-IB teachers who as part of their teaching duties would work to train local teachers to take over the major part of the teachingafter 2-3 years.-finally mostar Gymnasium should become a teacher training and educational resource centre

-It is through this training and resources centre in Mostar Gymnasium that the proposal also intendsto assist the Gymnazium in Banja Luka, the capital of Bosnias Serbs, to introduce the IB program and to support the Druga Gymnazium in Sarajevo to develop its IB program and increase its influence.

Thus, if successful, the proposal will create a historical situation in which all Bosnian national groupsstudy together for the first time since the war in mostar and where the same curricula is being taughtin three major cities of the country.

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“The city of Mostar is unified in this: it has given its full support to the project. I hope this project will be an encouragement of something good“.

Ljubo Beslic, Mayor of Mostar

Science laboratory corridor, Mostar Gymnasium

September 2004 September 2005

What has been achieced until now?

In March 2005 Mostar City Council, which had just been formed again first time afterthe war, made a unianimous vote in support of the UWC-IBO proposal therebymaking a principle decision to allow one third of the building to be used by UWC-IBO.

During this school year the science laboratories are being rebuilt and equippedunder the management of UWC-IBO. The AD physics teacher Mark Sylvester is leading the work. The condition of the substantial fundng given by the Norway for us for the labs was that that the laboratories are only used for classes with mixedgroups of students. During the year we will run introductory courses in experimentalsciences for students and teachers in Mostar. These will the first mixed classes in Mostar since the war.

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UWC-volunteers demonstrating the idea of social services for pupils of Mostar Gymnasium, September 2005

Currently five UWC volunteers work with the students from the Mostar Gymnasium to design the social service and activity programs. – as you can see in the picture

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Corridor designedfor 8 UWC-IB classrooms, MostarGymnasium, September 2005

The most critical issue for proceeding has been the final reconstruction of the Gymnasium building and funding for it. Exactly four weeks ago City of MOstar got a positive decision on a soft loan application worth one million euros for the finalreconstruction of the building. The proposed UWC-IBO usage of the building hasbeen seen as an important reason for the loan decision.

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Lamija Tanovic, Chair of the UWC-IBO Initiative Executive

Committee

Elisabeth Rehn, International Patron of the Initiative

In terms of human commitments,

Professor, former Ambassador and leader of the Bosnia Liberal democratic partyLamija Tanovic is the active chair of the UWC-IBO Executive Committee and puttingall her power and influence into making the Initiative success for she sees it a unique opportunity to her country.

Elisabeth Rehn, former UN under-secretary general and head of UN mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, has agreed to work as the patron and president of the Advisory Council of the Initiative.

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“UWC-IBO project is a good idea. I don't see why you should have any political problems.”

Mladen Ivanic, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina (a Serb)

“What you are offering is a bridge. I am convinced that you are on the right path“.

Ivo Miro Jovic, president of Bosnia and Herzegovina (a Croat)

“Your institution is a filter for European standards to enter BiH …Through institutions like yours we get models of how to change our society.“

Adnan Terzic, Prime minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina (a Bosniac)

Elisabeth Rehn visited Bosnia for a week in early September. Her visit was to generate political publicity. As a result we have come a situation unique in Bosnia: the UWC-IBO Initiative is to my knowledge currently the only project in the wholecountry which is supported by all political sides, Croats, Bosniacs and Serbs.

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“The recent events (physical segregation of schools in Mostar Canton) show in my view that Mostar is the best place for a United World College.”

Jasminka Bratic, the chair of the Mostar Gymnasium school board.

“This country cries for such an initiative as you are offering. I look forward to supporting it“. Matthew Rycroft, Ambassador of UK.

“It is a paradox that it is sometimes easier to unite the world than it is to unite Bosnia and Herzegovina. I hope that UWC could be not only a college for a certain number of students but a lighthouse for Bosnia and Herzegovina.” Henri Ofstadt, Ambassador of Norway.

UWC-IBO Roundtable, Sarajevo, September 2005, Comments:

Rehn visit was also to launch the fund-raising campaign for the programme fundingas of 2006 now that the building reconstruction in Mostar was solved. The Rehn visit coincided with the news of further educational segregation in municipalities around Mostar – those 17 kilometres I mentioned in the beginning of my presentation - thus creating an additional sense of urgency for the UWC-IBO Initiative which is reflected in these comments.

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Bullet holes, detail of the wall of Mostar Gymnasium, 2005

• Why should UWC be involved?• In what sense would this be new for

UWC?• How can UWC make this happen?

–10 teachers–20-30 student scholarships

So, in conclusion, three questions:First1. Why should UWC be involved? The founding head of the AC Desmond Hoare wrote: “The aim of the (UWC) project is to

give practical international demonstrations that the challenge of confronting attitudes which are an affront to civilisation is being accepted … practical demonstrations which will carry conviction.”

This is precisely what we are trying to do in Bosnia: to give a practical, convincing demonstration of curricula acceptable for all Bosnian national groups first time since the war, with external evaluation, student selection on personal merit, modern teacher training, introduction of service and activity programmes. Demonstarting model with wider impact in a situation where hardly any other model is in sight.

Second2. In what sense would this be a new development for UWC, we can list at least five aspects:1. The contact with the local community is of new kind, we will be sharing the school building and some facilities with the

"regular school" in Mostar.2. The Initiative works with existing state schools which creates both a new governance situation that needs to be looked

at carefully but also opportunities to practise the UWC values and principles within the national system3. The Initiative is officially a joint proposal of UWC and IBO.4. The institution has an acute sense of purpose for local educational needs and more generally. In Mostar and Bosnia

UWC teachers and students will be in the middle of a town which epitomizes the war in Bosnia and where all everyday actions involve choosing sides.

5. The proposal does not aim to establish an eternal institution as no extensive capital investments are made. Therefore UWC-IBO resources can be reallocated when it is perceived that the impact been made. Entire cost in UWC terms low.

FinallyHow can UWC make this happen?We have the school building commitment from city of Mostar with one million euro funding for reconstruction.We have about 500.000 euros to carry the preparational works this school year. We have the political and moral support as well as great local expectations for the UWC-IBO to start in September 2006.PAUSEWe need to finalise many practical details but the funding for 2006 is critical. We have 3-4 months to collect necessary pledges to make this happen. Biggest part of funding is needed to recruit highly motivated experienced international teachers and to offer residential

scholarships for students. So what could we – you as a UWC community do? Any commitments made by the UWC community NOW will send a

message to donors of the commitment of this movement to offer its existing resources and experiences to a place withacute need of them. 2-year pledges for 10 international experienced teachers and for 20-30 student scholarships NOW would guarantee the start in 2006.

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“The aim of the (UWC) project is to give practical international demonstrations that the challenge of confronting attitudes which are an affront to civilisation is being accepted …practical demonstrations which will carry conviction.”Desmond Hoare, the founder head of Atlantic College

I firmly believe we can and should make this happen for I believe that the aim of UWC continues to be

to give practical international demonstrations that the challenge of confronting attitudes which are an affront to civilisation is being accepted … practical demonstrations which will carry conviction.”

Thank you.

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