The Minister of Education and Culture of the Republic of Srpska, Željka Stojičić, spoke in Vienna with representatives of the Serb diaspora in Austria about the importance of preserving the Serbian language and Cyrillic alphabet in that country, institutional cooperation in the field of education and culture, and the diaspora for improving Srpska’s international reputation in the world.

With the president of the Serbian educational and cultural society Prosvjeta in Austria, Marko Sarić, and the honorary president Srđan Mijalković, Stojičić spoke about their Prosvjeta’s Serbian language school project, which is implemented throughout Austria.

Stojičić said that Prosvjeta’s Serbian language school contributed actively to preserving the Serbian language and Cyrillic alphabet, and cultural and national identity of the Serb diaspora in Austria, and that this was why such projects deserved support based on joint cooperation between the institutions of the Republic of Srpska and Serbia.

– Learning the Serbian language and Cyrillic alphabet is important for youth in Austria, because knowledge of the mother tongue is a prerequisite for proper learning of any foreign language – said Stojičić.

She noted that the line ministries in the Republic of Srpska and Serbia had signed agreements on joint approach and support to projects and initiatives that contribute to preserving the national and cultural identity of the Serb diaspora and that such an approach was important for achieving all strategic goals.

Representatives of the Austrian Prosvjeta told Stojičić there were around 26 Prosvjeta schools of the Serbian language organized throughout Austria and plans to establish four new schools that would start operating from September.

Stojičić attended a lesson held within the Prosvjeta Serbian language school, talked to the children and handed them books and didactic materials in Serbian and in Cyrillic.

The Republic of Srpska Minister of Education and Culture, the Director of the Republic of Srpska National Theater, Dijana Grbić, and their associates visited the Representative Office of the Republic of Srpska in Austria and talked with the Head of the Representation, Mladen Filipović, and his associates about the most important activities they carry out with the aim of developing and improving cooperation with Austrian institutions in the field of education and culture.

They discussed the support provided by the Representation to Republic of Srpska cultural institutions with the aim of their international presentation, and the activities carried out by the Representation with the Serb diaspora in Austria in the field of education and preserving the identity of Serbs in the diaspora.

The Head of the Representation, Filipović, presented to Stojičić the results of the promotion of the economic potential of the Republic of Srpska and the contribution of the Representation to networking of businessmen from the motherland with interested partners.

During their three-day visit to Vienna, Stojičić and Filipović spoke with representatives of Serb associations in Austria about cooperation development in the field of education and culture, and about the efforts of the Serb community in Austria to have the Cyrillic alphabet studied in schools in Vienna and Austria.

The line ministry announced that they also discussed importance of the initiative to study the national group of subjects in Austria at supplementary schools in accordance with the harmonized curricula of the Republic of Srpska and Serbia.

The meeting also discussed the development of institutional cooperation, the challenges faced by the Serb diaspora in Austria, and possibilities for improving cooperation in the field of education and culture in order to fulfill the set goals related to preserving the identity of diaspora Serbs.

The Minister of Education and Culture in the Government of the Republic of Srpska, Željka Stojičić, visited the Association of Serb Clubs in Vienna, where a meeting was held with Luka Marković, Association president, and Mladen Filipović, Head of the Republic of Srpska Representation in Austria.

At the Viennese Theater Akzent, Stojičić will attend the performance of the play The Cabinet Minister’s Wife, produced by the Republic of Srpska National Theater, directed by Milica Kralj, featuring also the Serbian theater diva Svetlana Bojković.

This projection is the result of a joint project of the Republic of Srpska Government and the Association of Serb Clubs in Vienna, and another step in strengthening the cultural ties between the Republic of Srpska and Austria and in promoting Serbian culture in the world.

Source: Republic of Srpska Representative Office in the Republic of Austria-RTRS-SRNA

Photo: Republic of Srpska Representative Office in the Republic of Austria