Classes in newly restored classrooms for more than 1000 students in Banovici and Odzak

1107 students from Banovici and Odzak attend their classes in newly restored and equipped classrooms. Namely, primary schools “Banovici selo“ near Banovici and two branch schools of the “Vladimir Nazor” school from Odzak – “Prud“ and „Vojskova” have formally opened their doors this week, after reconstruction works and equipping supported by Save the Children, following the 2014 May and August floods that caused excessive damage to these schools.

Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Posavina Canton Ivo Jelušić, who attended opening of the schools, thanked Save the Children for provided assistance and called for continuation of cooperation. “We shouldn’t stop at this. I think that education program in Posavina Canton is among the best quality programs in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and our students are returning that to us in various ways, especially those finishing the high school, and we have great achievements. Quality of the students that finish our schools is at the high level”.

Last year’s floods caused excessive damage to school buildings in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while high number of students was forced to attend classes in schools far from their homes or in alternate and inadequate objects.

“We moved the children back to their own school as soon as the construction works ended, until that moment the classes were being held in Prud ambulance premises. Having in mind that there is a notable trend of students transferring to other schools, we can say that none of our students left not there are any such announcements,” stated on this occasion Primary School “Vladimir Nazor” Principal Nada Bacic.

Save the Children wants to contribute to the return of the sense of “normalcy” for children from the areas hit by the floods and ensure that their right to education is not jeopardised by the emergency situation that they are facing with. “We are aware of the problems and challenges that both teachers and students from the schools hit by the floods are facing with, but we are convinced that we significantly contributed to establishing of the regular education process in the areas that were the most affected, in line with our possibilities,” stressed Save the Children in North West Balkans Director Andrea Zeravcic.

Knowing how much it is important to re-establish the education process for psychosocial recovery of the youngest after natural and other catastrophes, Save the Children supported rehabilitation and equipping of school objects that were damaged in the floods and landslides all over Bosnia and Herzegovina. Total of 16 schools were reconstructed and/or equipped in Zenica-Doboj Canton, Posavina Canton and Una-Sana Canton.

Part of Save the Children’s intervention in the education sector also included initial donation of cleaning and disinfection equipment and products for 38 schools (water pumps, dehumidifiers, shovels, disinfection products), as well as personal protection kits for school employees and volunteers that worked on cleaning up of the school objects (gloves, boots, face protection masks).

Besides cleaning, reconstruction and equipping of schools, Save the Children also provided 384 back to school kits for students in Bosnia and Herzegovina at the beginning of school year 2014-2015.