United World Colleges and International Baccalaureate Organization Initiative in Bosnia and Herzegovina ANNUAL REPORT School Year 2006/2007 United World Colleges and International Baccalaureate Organization Initiative in Bosnia and Herzegovina ANNUAL REPORT School Year 2006/2007 Editors: Mirna Jančić, Ivana Vrhovski, Meri Musa Design: Shift Creative Agency, Mostar Date: December 2007 H.M. Queen Noor of Jordan with UWCiM students MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR Following five years of preparations, United World College in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, was finally inaugurated with our first generation beginning in Septem- ber 2006. During its first year, United World College in Mostar has had considerable public- ity. The official opening ceremony of the College was organized on 22 May 2007 in Mostar. This exceptional event was attended and addressed by the President of United World Colleges, H.M. Queen Noor, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Minister Nikola Špirić, the Norwegian Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, H.E. Jan Braathu, the Mayor of the City of Mostar, Ljubo Bešlić, as well as many officials who contributed to the founding of this outstand- ing institution in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The past school year and everything we achieved can truly be considered a suc- cess. We can say without reservation that United World College in Mostar has established good grounds for the future and for the new generations of students. The first school year is behind us now and a second generation of students has been enrolled. We can proudly announce that as of September 2007 189 students are attending the UWC in Mostar. Apart from that, Board for Professional Development of Teachers has already held several workshops in its first year. Teachers and headteachers who took part in those workshops found them extremely useful and pertinent to their needs. Our cooperation with education ministries and pedagogical institutes from the entire country is developing into a genuine partnership which holds a strong promise for the future reform of education in Bosnia and Herzegovina. United World College in Mostar has also begun to work closely with the other two secondary schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina that offer International Baccalaure- ate programme: the Second Gymnasium in Sarajevo and the Gymnasium in Banja Luka. It is our intention, now that we have a year's worth of experience, to intensify that cooperation, and all the more because it is to be sponsored by the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Annual Report School Year 2006/2007 3 The above achievements, as well as many other results accomplished by the Unit- ed World College in Mostar and United World College – International Baccalaure- ate Organization Initiative in BiH during the past year, promise to make our project a long-term success. These results also speak in favour of the fact that our wishes, efforts and perseverance in the past years have justified our belief that Bosnia and Herzegovina is the right country and Mostar the right city for the opening of the twelfth United World College. Professor Lamija Tanović Chair of the Executive Committee UWC-IBO Initiative in Bosnia and Herzegovina 4 Annual Report School Year 2006/2007 TABLE OF CONTENTS Message from the Chair 3 Celebrating the second year of the UWC-IBO Initiative in Bosnia and Herzegovina 6 Summary of Objectives of UWC-IBO Initiative in Bosnia and Herzegovina 9 Summary of Achievements September 2006 - August 2007 10 Monthly overview of key events September 2006 - August 2007 12 Serving the local community: CAS – Creativity, Action, Service 27 Service in local community: cooperation with refugee camps in Jablanica and Čapljina/Tasovčići 28 List of teachers, administrative staff and volunteers in the school year 2006/2007 30 Governance 31 Advisory council of the UWC-IBO Initiative in Bosnia and Herzegovina 33 Financial statement for 2006/2007 34 Supporters 35 Implementation phase 2006-2009 35 Governments 35 Foundations and organizations 35 United World Colleges 35 United World Colleges National Committees and Networks 35 Private donations 35 Businesses 36 Donations in kind and secondment 36 Reconstruction of common facilities in Mostar Gymnasium 36 Annual Report School Year 2006/2007 5 CELEBRATING THE SECOND YEAR OF THE UWC-IBO INITIATIVE IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA “It is also the feeling of mak- In its second year of operations, the Initiative of the United World Colleges (UWC) ing something really unique and and the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) in Bosnia and Herzegovina meaningful that makes this college (BiH) celebrates its achievements and challenges in supporting the peace process so special to me. It is more than in the country and the region. just a school you have to go to, but you feel that you contribute to a Following extensive start-up preparations during 2005-2006*, the UWC-IBO Initia- project and that somehow, each tive in BiH launched the United World College in Mostar (UWCiM) in September and everyone of us is responsible 2006, with a first class of 91 students. Students from Bosnia and Herzegovina for its outcome… and I no longer came from of all national backgrounds and from across the country and a smaller see the nationality, but just the group of students came from the region, other post-conflict countries, the Middle person and the friend. East and Western Europe. They all study the International Baccalaureate Diploma I only knew Bosnia and Herze- Programme (IBDP). The Initiative has worked in close strategic cooperation with govina in association with faint the Headmistress Ankica Čović and Deputy of the Mostar Gymnasium Bakir Krpo, memories of a war, but this college where the College is based, and the cantonal and city authorities of Mostar. has allowed me to discover a beau- tiful and interesting country full of Through the example of UWCiM, the Initiative wished to offer a recognized model of contradictions and now Mostar has post-conflict education. The college was intended to serve as a practical demonstra- become my home, and there is no tion that the educational reform aims in BiH were achievable, notably those which place I would rather be right now. addressed the differences between the country's three often hostile curricula, the Looking at the one and a half years prevalent segregation of children in schools, the feeling of isolation amongst teach- ahead of me, I can only say that if ers and students, and the need for objective and quality assessment of students. after one term, we already feel so connected to the college and the By setting up the Board for Professional Development of Teachers, run by experts town, I can hardly imagine what it in the IB curriculum, the Initiative also wished to offer an example on how to iden- will be like after 2 years.” tify and foster common elements of the different national curricula. The aim of the Initiative is also to promote modern teaching methods, development of analytical Saskia Brechenmacher, skills of students, and to create a true unity among students and teachers. UWCiM student, Germany Dubbed the “lighthouse” for educational reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina, this unique project builds on over 40 years of experience of the UWC (www.uwc.org) and IB (www.ibo.org) in offering international education to students of all national and religious backgrounds, from across the world. There are 12 United World Colleges in the world, while the IB is taught in more than 2000 schools in over 100 countries. * Please refer to the Annual Report of the Start-up Period 2005-2006 6 Annual Report School Year 2006/2007 “Th e message is quite simple. Integration works and it works well in Mostar. Why should it not work well throughout the country?” Jan Braathu, Norwegian Ambassador to BiH A detail from Official Opening Ceremony of UWCiM UWCiM End of Year Assembly June 2007 Annual Report School Year 2006/2007 7 UWCiM students in the Chemistry laboratory Teacher training programme - Workshop for BiH English language teachers 8 Annual Report School Year 2006/2007 Summary of Objectives of UWC-IBO Initiative in Bosnia and Herzegovina • Operate the UWCiM, based within the Gymnasium Mostar, teaching the “Anyone can clearly notice that International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, with experienced UWC-IBO the city is very divided between teachers, trainee BiH teachers, and scholarship-funded students, selected on the Bosniaks and Croats but in merit, from all national groups in BiH, and from the rest of the world (approxi- our school all the diff erences mately 60% local, 40% regional/international). Local BiH teachers to gradually disappear as we all work together take over the majority of teaching responsibilities in the next 1-2 years. to achieve our aims. Every day I • Build up a regional UWC-IBO Board for Professional Development of Teach- fi nd out a bit more about life in ers, running seminars, conferences and workshops for BiH teachers, and giving this post-war situation and with them the opportunity to create network with teachers from other countries to the help of my local friends I am discuss educational methods. even able to refl ect much on the • Foster active and close cooperation with the Second Gymnasium in Sarajevo current confl ict in my own coun- on increasing the influence of its existing IB programme, and with the Gymna- try, Israel. When we just started sium in Banja Luka on strengthening their recently setup IB programme. Assist we were constantly told that we other interested schools in introducing the International Baccalaureate Diploma are the pioneers, that we will cre- Programme. ate the foundations for the next • Use UWC-IBO's compulsory social service and community action programme generations. For me it has and still (Creativity, Action, Service - CAS) to engage local students with their wider is a truly amazing experience for communities.