More than 50 teachers and members of school staff from pilot schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina attended the online Round table on the Competences for Democratic Culture and the whole school approach organised on 25 February 2021 in the framework of the joint European Union and Council of Europe action “Quality education for all”.

The event was moderated by Lana Jurko, the director of the Network of Education Policy Centers who spoke about the importance of student participation. “Inclusion is a lived experience, not only a result that we should aim towards”, she stated. Students must be the central point of the education process and their voices must be heard and respected. The event also included a key speech by Dr. Jelena Vranješević who spoke about the different aspects of student participation in school and how it leads towards the democratisation of the education process.

Participants of the event agreed that a shift towards a higher level of participation and inclusion is necessary in the society of Bosnia and Herzegovina and this approach should be implemented within the education system from the earliest age. Participants also gave concrete examples of good practices from their schools in which students are included in the decision-making process and are able to develop their skills and competences in order to become engaged citizens and contribute to the society. A total of 29 pilot schools coming from different parts of the country participate in the action, including from Brcko District, Republika Srpska and the ten cantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

The action “Quality education for all” is implemented under the European Union and Council of Europe joint programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”.