Terminal Project Report: Conclusions and Recommendations
Prepared by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
Paris, May 1998
United Nations Development Programme
Report Summary Sheet
Country : Bosnia and HerzegovinaProject title : Overview of the Education Sector
Project number : BIH/96/003
Budget
UNDP contribution : US$ 70 800 of which US$ 52 806 (BIH/96/003/C/01/13) and US$ 17 994 (BIH/96/003/C/13/13)
UNESCO contribution : Staff mission costs
Executing agency : United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Title of report : Terminal Report: Conclusions and Recommendations
Party responsible for preparing the report : UNESCO
Brief Statement
Objectives:
 | To provide a picture of the current situation of the education sector at all levels (primary, secondary, technical and higher education); |
| to identify priority projects for immediate restoration of educational services in the country, and |
| to identify priority actions which will lay a foundation for the long-term reform and reconstruction of the educational system (curriculum development, textbooks, educational supplies, educational planning and administration). |
Outputs sought and produced:
As per the outputs sought in the project document, two technical reports on the education system of Bosnia and Herzegovina (the first for the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the second for the Republika Srpska) have been produced and widely distributed among national authorities and donor community. A project on the improvement of the management capacity in the education sector of the Federation was prepared as one direct result of the overview activity and is now being executed by UNESCO with funding from UNDP.
Problems encountered:
The slow pace of peace building combined with the lack of inter-Entity collaboration, frequent changes in national counterparts, shortage of reliable and updated data and information, confused signals concerning the decentralization in the country, lack of a coherent national or Entity policies for social and economic development.
Findings and recommendations:
The project should have put more attention to the different patterns of development adopted by the two Entities as regards decentralization. Given the unchallenged role that schools can play in conveying positive cultural messages, concerted efforts should be made in order to build consensus and confidence among constituent communities from the schools. Needs of educational assistance are immense and divergent. In order to better co-ordinate and increase the effectiveness of the assistance efforts of international donors and partners, the country needs to elaborate a coherent action plan for the reconstruction and development of the education system. The national authorities and the international community could collaborate in elaborating a comprehensive programme for economic and social development based on sectorial reviews undertaken to date or completed in the near future as a guide to the efficient rehabilitation of the social sectors, especially the education sector.
Major products of the project:
Two Technical Reports were produced: N°1 "Review of the Education System in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina" and N° 2 "Review of the Education System in the Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina". Both documents are attached to this project terminal report.
The terminal report was prepared by UNESCO in English on 10 March 1998.