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ZDK Ministry of Education: Schools Should Tend to Their Internet Needs on their Own

Tomislav Domes

16 May 2006

The schools themselves should take care of internet feed, claims ZDK Ministry of Education

On Friday, May 12, a meeting was held between the local youth group and the representatives of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Zenica-Doboj Canton (ZDK). The meeting was held under the "Computerization of Secondary Schools in Zenica Region" project, implemented by the Foundation for Creative Development and the Youth Information Agency (OIA).

The Ministry was represented by Minister Sredo Tomasevic, the Secretary Maid Pracic, Deputy Minister Rasim Bajric, and the Advisor for Education Edin Hadzikadunic.

According to Amila Jerkovic, the coordinator of the local youth group, the Ministry's representatives attempted, at the very beginning, to direct the discussion towards individual reports in the media, while she attempted to explain to them that the goal of the meeting was not to discuss media reports, but design a mutual constructive solution for introduction of internet in the schools.

The position of the Ministry was that it has done all it needed to do when it introduced computers in the schools, while the internet connection itself falls on the schools themselves, having in mind that the schools are separate and sovereign legal entities. Ultimately, it was agreed that the obligation will be taken over by the local youth group, provided that the Ministry adopts and issues official recommendation for introduction of internet in the schools. Althouth the Ministy representatives made certain promises in that direction, Jerkovic expressed her suspicion regarding their validity.

Another interesting point made by Jerkovic refers to the fact that the representatives of the Cantonal Ministry have never heard of the document titled "Information Society Development Strategy in B&H", adopted in 2004 by the B&H Council of Ministers. Furthermore, when the document was presented to them, they attempted to derrogate its importance, claiming it was utopian, that the people that prepared it lacked the proper expertise, and that its implementation is an obligation of the Council of Ministers which adopted it, in the first place.