Parents Choose School Principal in Bosnia-Herzegovina
In a rare occurrence in Bosnia-Herzegovina, experience triumphed over politics and parents were allowed to choose their children's school principal. In the first ever election of its type, high school teacher Sulejman Mulic, 52 years old, was chosen as school principal of Sjenjak Elementary School in Tuzla.
"Interaction between the principal and our students' parents will finally become an everyday practice,” said Mulic. “I believe this is a historic step for primary education in BiH, since parents are now able to vote for competent directors instead of politically appropriate ones."
Two candidates ran for the position at Sjenjak Elementary School. A few days before the election, the candidates presented their programs to parents and school employees. The turnout among parents was approximately 30 percent.
This groundbreaking election was organized by the Center for Civic Initiatives (CCI), a USAID grantee, as part of its "De-Politicization of Education" campaign, first launched in 2003 in Tuzla Canton. With USAID funding, CCI manages an interactive Civil Society Development Program through which trainers provide assistance to increase citizen participation in the process of local budget planning, adoption and implementation.
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| Elementary school students stand to benefit from this groundbreaking election |
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