INCORRECT CLAIMS ABOUT TRANSFER OF COMPETENCIES IN FIELD OF EDUCATION

BANJA LUKA, OCTOBER 15 /SRNA/ – The Ministry of Education and Culture of Republika Srpska stated that the authority and competencies related to the selection, approval, and publication of textbooks belong exclusively to this ministry, in accordance with the Constitution of Srpska and applicable legal regulations, and that this will remain the case.

The statement reads that the information that appeared in the media, regarding the reform plan for implementing the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans /Reform Agenda/, is incorrect.

In response to reports in certain media claiming that, among other things, the approval for publishing textbooks would in the future be granted by the Ministry of Civil Affairs in the Council of Ministers, the Ministry emphasized that the Reform Agenda Draft sent to the European Commission contains hundreds of comments from all ministries of the Government of Republika Srpska, which means that the document is not final, but rather a subject of interdepartmental review and consultations in Brussels.

"Upon receiving the document from Brussels, the Government of Republika Srpska will review it, and only those solutions that are fully in accordance with the constitutional competencies of Republika Srpska will be acceptable," the statement reads.

The Ministry unconditionally rejected claims that there has been any transfer of competencies of Republika Srpska in the field of education to the level of BiH, stressing that education, according to the constitutional arrangement, is the exclusive competence of the entities, and that these competencies have not been, nor will be, the subject of transfer.

"The writings of certain media reflects only their desire and tendencies for it to be that way, which speaks enough about those who published such information. We call on the media to refrain from publishing inaccurate information that may cause unnecessary public concern, and, in the interest of accurate and objective informing of citizens, to verify the credibility of such information before publication," the statement of the Ministry of Education and Culture reads.