About unit

The institutional image of the education system in Bosnia and Herzegovina reflects the state's organization as defined by the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the constitutions of the Republika Srpska, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the cantons within the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Statute of the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina, based on which the competences in the field of education are legally defined.

According to the Law on Ministries and Other Administrative Bodies of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina is responsible for coordinating activities, harmonizing plans of the entity authorities, and defining international strategies, among others in the field of education.

The Education Sector consists of four departments:

• Department for European Integration and International Cooperation
• Department for Coordination of Educational Policies
• Department for Mobility and Youth
• Department for Statistics, Analytics, and Reporting

There are four framework laws at the level of Bosnia and Herzegovina that provide the framework for the operation of all educational authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and with which the laws of the competent ministries of education in Bosnia and Herzegovina are harmonized:

• Framework Law on Preschool Upbringing and Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Framework Law on Primary and Secondary Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Framework Law on Secondary Vocational Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Framework Law on Higher Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Also, at the level of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the following agencies have been established:

Agency for Preschool, Primary, and Secondary Education The Agency for Preschool, Primary, and Secondary Education is an independent administrative organization in the field of preschool, primary, and secondary education. According to the Law on the Agency for Preschool, Primary, and Secondary Education ("Official Gazette of BiH" No. 88/07), the Agency is headquartered in Mostar and has two regional offices, with headquarters in Sarajevo and Banja Luka.

The Mostar office works on the development of a common core curriculum, the Sarajevo office on standards of knowledge and student achievements, and the Banja Luka office on the development of secondary vocational education and training, adult education, and lifelong learning.

The Agency is also responsible for other professional tasks in the field of knowledge standards and quality assessment determined by special laws and other regulations.

Agency for Development of Higher Education and Quality Assurance The Agency for Development of Higher Education and Quality Assurance was established by the Framework Law on Higher Education in BiH ("Official Gazette of BiH" No. 59/07) as an independent administrative organization. The Agency is responsible, among other things, for:

• Establishing clear, transparent, and accessible criteria for the accreditation of higher education institutions and setting norms that determine minimum standards in the field of higher education;
• Providing recommendations on criteria for licensing higher education institutions and study programs;
• Establishing quality standards, analyzing quality, providing recommendations to eliminate quality deficiencies of studies and higher education institutions;
• Representing Bosnia and Herzegovina in international quality organizations in higher education;
• Providing recommendations to the competent educational authorities on the accreditation of a higher education institution or study program based on the opinion of an expert commission;
• The process and decision on accreditation and licensing of higher education institutions made by the Ministry of the Republika Srpska, cantonal ministries, and the Brčko District of BiH;
• Maintaining a national register of accredited higher education institutions, among other tasks.

Center for Information and Recognition of Documents in the Field of Higher Education The Center for Information and Recognition of Documents in the Field of Higher Education (hereinafter: CIP) was established by the Framework Law on Higher Education in BiH ("Official Gazette of BiH" No. 59/07) as an independent administrative organization. CIP is responsible for, among other things:

• Information and recognition in the field of higher education;
• Coordination and international exchange of academic staff, students, and programs in the field of higher education;
• Providing information to higher education institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina through international networks of information centers (ENIC/NARIC networks) regarding foreign higher education institutions and programs as a basis for recognizing degrees and diplomas for further education at higher education institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and representing Bosnia and Herzegovina in these networks;
• In accordance with the Lisbon Convention and its accompanying documents, making recommendations to the Ministry of the Republika Srpska, cantonal ministries, and the Brčko District of BiH on recognizing diplomas obtained outside Bosnia and Herzegovina for the purpose of employment, continuing education, and exercising other rights derived from the obtained qualification, among other tasks.

Additionally, advisory and coordinating bodies for the education sector have been established at the level of Bosnia and Herzegovina:

• Conference of Ministers of Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• Council for General Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• Rector's Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• Coordinating Forum in the Field of Education
• Coordinating Forum in the Field of Youth of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina and international partner organizations implementing projects in the field of youth in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• Commission for Coordinating Youth Issues.

COMPETENT INSTITUTIONS

Full and undivided competence in education is held by the Republika Srpska, the ten cantons in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The competent ministries of education in Bosnia and Herzegovina are:

• Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republika Srpska
• Ministry of Scientific and Technological Development, Higher Education, and Information Society of the Republika Srpska
• Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of the Una-Sana Canton
• Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of the Posavina Canton
• Ministry of Education and Science of the Tuzla Canton
• Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of the Zenica-Doboj Canton
• Ministry of Education, Youth, Science, Culture, and Sports of the Bosnian-Podrinje Canton Goražde
• Ministry of Education, Science, Youth, Culture, and Sports of the Central Bosnia Canton
• Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton
• Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of the West Herzegovina Canton
• Ministry of Upbringing and Education of the Sarajevo Canton
• Ministry of Science, Education, Culture, and Sports of Canton 10
• Department of Education of the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina

LEVELS OF EDUCATION

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, education is organized into four basic levels: preschool, primary, secondary, and higher education. Institutions that carry out the educational process are public and private.

Preschool upbringing and education is an integral part of the educational system in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in the year before starting primary school, it is compulsory for all preschool children. The duration of preschool programs in the year before starting school is usually 150 hours, distributed throughout the year with two hours per week, while in the Republika Srpska it is organized over three months continuously with three hours per day, totaling about 190 hours. Preschool education is regulated by the laws of the Republika Srpska, cantons in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which need to be harmonized with the Framework Law on Preschool Upbringing and Education.

Primary education is compulsory for all children and lasts nine years. It begins in the calendar year when the child turns six by April 1st. Primary education is regulated by the laws of the entities, cantons, and the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Secondary education is accessible to everyone, according to their achievements in primary school, personal interests, and abilities. A secondary school can be established as:

• Gymnasium,
• Secondary technical school,
• Secondary vocational school,
• Religious school,
• Secondary art school,
• School for children with special needs, and
• Secondary school for adult education.

Secondary education is regulated by the laws of the Republika Srpska, cantons in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which need to be harmonized with the Framework Law on Primary and Secondary Education and the Framework Law on Secondary Vocational Education.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, there are nine pedagogical institutions:

• Republic Pedagogical Institute of the Republika Srpska
• Institute for the Development of Pre-university Education of the Sarajevo Canton
• Pedagogical Institute Zenica
• Pedagogical Institute of the Una-Sana Canton
• Pedagogical Institute of the Bosnian-Podrinje Canton
• Pedagogical Institute of the Tuzla Canton
• Pedagogical Institute Mostar
• Institute for Education Mostar
• Pedagogical Institution of the Brčko District of BiH

All pedagogical institutions have similar responsibilities, which relate to performing professional tasks in the implementation, improvement, and development of upbringing and education, advisory-instructional work, and performing professional-pedagogical supervision over the work of educational institutions in the field of preschool, primary, and secondary education.

Access to higher education is granted to all those who have completed a four-year secondary school, according to their achievements in secondary school and personal interests.

Higher education is organized into three cycles:

• The first cycle leads to the academic title of a bachelor's degree or equivalent, obtained after at least three and no more than four years of full-time study after obtaining a secondary school certificate, valued at a minimum of 180 or 240 ECTS credits, with the exception of integrated medical group studies in the first cycle valued at up to 360 ECTS credits.
• The second cycle leads to the academic title of a master's degree or equivalent, obtained after the completion of the first cycle, valued at a minimum of 60 or 120 ECTS credits, so that the total number of credits earned in the first and second cycle is at least 300 ECTS credits.
• The third cycle leads to the academic title of a doctoral degree or equivalent, obtained after the completion of the second cycle, valued at a minimum of 180 ECTS credits.

One semester of study carries 30 ECTS credits in each cycle.

The Framework Law on Primary and Secondary Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina stipulates that adult education is organized in specific subjects for their professional and personal development.

Adult education includes professional training, additional training, retraining, further qualification, and other activities to ensure lifelong learning.

Adult education is further regulated by the laws of the Republika Srpska, the cantons in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is implemented in the Institute for Adult Education in the Republika Srpska, adult education centers in the cantons in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as in schools that receive approval from the competent institution to conduct adult education programs.

The financing of education in Bosnia and Herzegovina is predominantly carried out from public funds of the entity, cantonal, Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and municipal budgets, depending on the jurisdiction.

This practically means that, in terms of location, there are thirteen separate education budgets in Bosnia and Herzegovina: two at the entity level, one in the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and ten cantonal budgets.

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