UWC-IBO Initiative in BiH

In September 2006, the Initiative of the United World Colleges (UWC) and International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) in Bosnia and Herzegovina founded the United World College in Mostar (UWCiM), with the aim to demonstrate a quality educational model which will serve as a reference for the process of educational reform in the country.

In the UWCiM, which is housed within the Gymnasium Mostar, one curriculum (International Baccalaureate, IB), not nationally biased, is taught to mixed groups of students of all national backgrounds from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Students of all nationalities live and study their subjects together, including history, which is unique example in post-war BiH.

United World College in Mostar is one of only 12 United World Colleges in the world. It offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP), which is taught in over 2,335 schools in 128 countries across the globe, and is the most recognised secondary school diploma in the world. In BiH, the IB is also taught in Gymnasium Banja Luka and Second Gymnasium in Sarajevo, with which UWCiM nurtures close cooperation.

The first generation of 88 students at UWCiM, consisting of 64 students from across BiH and 24 students from the region and the world, is successfully finishing the programme. In September 2007 we enrolled the second generation of 95 students, 54 of them from BiH. The student body of 183 students in total represents 30 countries. In March 2008 Initiative Executive Committee brought a decision to admit a third generation of students. Teachers� body is made up of BiH, and experienced international IB teachers who act as mentors and train their local colleagues to eventually take over the majority of teaching activities.

All classes are taught in English, while all students from BiH attend mother-tongue classes in language and literature. All students are externally evaluated on their final exams.

UWCiM students also take part in extensive compulsory social service activities, co-operating with different social, cultural and sport institutions in order to build up social skills and give their contribution to community development as an integral part of their education at UWCiM. Each UWC student is selected by his/her national UWC Student Selection Committee based on personal merit and all students are awarded scholarships.

The UWC-IBO Initiative in BiH actively promotes UWC-IBO values, and is organising a series of workshops and study visits for teachers from across BiH, focusing on IB teaching standards, which are easily transferable into the local educational system.

The Initiative�s Centre for the Professional Development of BiH Teachers has so far held 7 workshops for professional development of teachers and 2 study visits to Slovenia. More than 200 teachers and education experts from the whole country attended the educational programmes organized by the Centre in last two years. Until May 2008 the Centre organized workshops for physics, chemistry and biology teachers, English language teachers, teachers of history, geography and mathematics. In addition to these workshops, several other events and meetings on topic of educational reform were held with representatives of pedagogical institutes, ministries, local and international organisations.

The work of UWC-IBO Initiative in BiH entirely depends on donations. We gratefully acknowledge the support of our donors, listed on the webpage www.uwc-ibo.org.