We are surprised by the information we received from the media regarding the implementation of the PISA survey in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In the past, the Agency, along with the BiH Ministry of Civil Affairs, has been working to gather information for the BiH Presidency – both from the international institutions organizing PISA and PIRLS surveys and from the relevant ministries of education of BiH.
According to the data from the Ministry of Civil Affairs of BiH, this complete information was sent to the Presidency of BiH only on 27.7. 2020, and it remains unclear how, before its arrival, the mentioned item was on the agenda of the session of the Presidency of BiH.
We would like to emphasize that, according to the Conclusion of the Presidency of BiH, and following the request of the Government of Republika Srpska to explain the visibility of RS within the results of PISA research published for Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Agency was tasked to examine the additional modalities of our country’s participation in the process of the international researches.
The Agency has established a number of additional contacts with the international institutions organizing PISA and PIRLS surveys and prepared information on sampling modalities. The information was then delivered to the BiH Ministry of Civil Affairs, which forwarded it to all relevant ministries of education in BiH, after which, upon receiving the feedback, it developed a comprehensive response and statement in relation the subject request of the Government of the Republika Srpska.
Meanwhile, the Presidency of BiH, for the reasons unknown to us, included the decision on the implementation of the PISA survey on the agenda without having the opportunity to consider new proposals and findings.
We regret that this issue was considered at all before receiving the feedback requested from the Agency and the Ministry of Civil Affairs of BiH.
We believe that upon the receipt of the full feedback, the Presidency of BiH will again consider the signing of the agreement in question, this time with all relevant information.