The Education Ministry of Bosnia's Serb majority part - Republika Srpska (RS) said on Thursday that EU forces in charge of preserving peace in the country (EUFOR) never contacted them regarding a visit to a school in Mrkonjic Grad which received a donation from Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, despite the school director saying he refused to let them inspect the donation. EUFOR, on the other hand, told a different story.

“EUFOR teams regularly pay visits to the local community, including schools, to get an overview about the general situation and concerns within the community. The EUFOR Liaison Team in Banja Luka contacted the Director of Mrkonjic Grad High School to identify if there was interest in a school visit. As a matter of courtesy, the soldiers asked if the visit of President Vucic went well. There was no intent at any time to inspect or control the donation,” EUFOR spokesperson told N1.

They explained that they usually offer to hold a Mine Risk Education class every time they visit a school and that their Liaison Observation Teams deliver Mine Risk Education to more than 15,000 individuals every year.

But the RS Education Ministry said they learned from the High School director that he told EUFOR they could not visit the school without the Ministry's approval.

The Ministry added that cooperation between various organisations and high schools in this entity is determined by the RS Law on Education.

During his visit to Mrkonjic Grad, Serbia's Vucic donated 20 laptops for the IT classroom and 100 books for the school library. He also said Serbia would provide financial aid for the reconstruction of the school and refurbishing of classrooms at a later date.