Two BiH teachers awarded 12 month residency fellowship at International School of Stuttgart

Meet Mirza Koljić and Sanela Mešinović, two high school teachers who have just received some very exciting news: they've been accepted into the 12-month International School Stuttgart Residency Program!

For those of you who don’t know, in 2022 Bosnia & Herzegovina Futures Foundation partnered with the International School Stuttgart (ISS), to provide teachers in Bosnia & Herzegovina a unique 12 month residency experience, an opportunity of a lifetime.

The Teacher Residency program is a 12-month paid program in Stuttgart, Germany, that offers the opportunity to spend a year teaching and learning in a highly innovative international school environment. But there is one catch - the selected teachers must bring back the knowledge they attained to advance the education ecosystem in their school and community.

The application process was not easy! After an info session held by our foundation and the ISS, teachers had to put together an application that also included a video presentation on how they would improve their own school. 5 teachers were shortlisted by the selection committee and were interviewed by ISS. While all candidates were impressive, two teachers were chosen. A third teacher was really impressed and may yet get a fellowship provided a vacancy opens up.

Now, let’s meet Mirza and Sanela, our two super teachers about to embark on a transformative experience!

Mirza Koljić, who attained a Bachelor of Mathematics and Computer Science, is a math and computer science teacher in the ‘25. novembar’ Elementary school in Velika Kladuša. He is an active volunteer in the community and the recipient of the Acknowledgements of the Municipality of Velika Kladuša for a special personal contribution to the development of the local community in the field of culture and humanitarian work. 

“For me, being selected for the program is a great honor and therefore a success, because I am aware that the selection process is more than demanding and that excellent candidates were applied not only from Bosnia and Herzegovina but also from Great Britain, the USA and other countries of the world. Being ranked among the most successful candidates in the program in which some of the best educators and teachers from around the world participate gives me additional motivation to work even harder on myself and to achieve many more good results, “ said Mirza Koljić.

Sanela Mešinović graduated from Istanbul University, Turkey with a Master of Islamic Theology. She currently works as an IBDP Theory of Knowledge teacher, Cambridge Global Perspectives and Research AS Level teacher, an Islamic teacher and a Part-Time School Librarian. Sanela is experienced with all types of educational environments for young and adult learners and is an active user of several foreign languages. She is very passionate about discovering new methods of teaching.

“I plan to share the acquired knowledge and experience with the teaching staff at my home school when I return to Bosnia and Herzegovina through workshops, mentoring programs, etc. I want to use the acquired experience to promote cross-cultural understanding and the exchange of knowledge and resources between different educational systems. This can facilitate cooperation between teachers in Bosnia and Herzegovina and other countries and provide opportunities for the exchange of ideas, teaching methods, and much more,” said Sanela Mešinović.

We wish Mirza and Sanela all the best on their journey and can't wait to see the impact they will make at ISS and in their local schools and communities upon their return.

Bosnia & Herzegovina Futures Foundation has piloted this opportunity with ISS and will further explore with canton, entity, and national governments teacher residency programs in order to improve the quality of education in the country.

Our foundation would like to sincerely thank all of the staff from ISS, Anja Jungiger, Tim Kelley, Vedran Kapetanovic and the current residents for helping us achieve our set goals. We look forward to working with you in the future.

Click here for more information regarding the program and partnership.