Following the release of a new history curriculum for 9th-grade students in the Republic of Srpska, which includes lessons about Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic portrayed as heroes rather than war criminals, this topic has become a significant national issue in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Ministry of Education and Culture of RS has responded to widespread criticism from both local and international officials, explaining the reasons behind their decision.

The Ministry stated that, according to the Law on Education in RS, the Minister of Education and Culture, based on recommendations from the Pedagogical Institute, develops the curriculum that is implemented in the entity’s educational system. In the new 2024/2025 school curriculum, Karadzic and Mladic are to be taught as historical figures who held important military and political positions during what the Ministry calls the “defensive and homeland war” of Republika Srpska. The curriculum is presented as a “scientifically grounded” program, with the Ministry defending its inclusion of these individuals as vital to understanding the events surrounding the creation of RS.

The Ministry’s statement expressed surprise that media interest, particularly from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, was largely focused on the history curriculum, even though other subjects had also been revised. It noted that the curriculum had long included the topic of the “Republic of Srpska and the Defensive War” and that this is the eleventh chapter of the new program. Figures such as Karadzic and Mladic are regarded as pivotal to this period and are featured as part of the narrative on RS's formation.

However, what the Ministry did not acknowledge is that Karadzic and Mladic were sentenced by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) to life imprisonment for their roles in genocide, ethnic cleansing, and other crimes against humanity. These individuals are not only part of RS’s history but are convicted war criminals who led a campaign that resulted in the deaths and displacement of countless Bosnian Muslims and Croats during the 1992-1995 war. The ICTY's verdicts, supported by overwhelming evidence including testimonies, photographs, and documented orders, were crucial in prosecuting those responsible for these atrocities.

Despite this, the Ministry claims the goal of the curriculum is to present events from the war in an “objective and unbiased” manner, aiming to develop students’ critical thinking. They further stated that the curriculum would include a teacher's guide with supporting materials like contemporary testimonies, documents, and documentaries, though this guide is still under review.

Critics, however, argue that without acknowledging the war crimes convictions and atrocities committed, the curriculum's claim of objectivity is disingenuous. By omitting these key facts, the educational system in RS is effectively teaching a revisionist history of the Bosnian War, presenting a one-sided narrative that does not align with internationally established truths about the conflict.

In RS schools, students will learn that the Bosnian War was a “defensive war” rather than a conflict that led to the systematic targeting of Bosniak and Croat populations. The broader context of ethnic cleansing and the genocide in Srebrenica, which claimed over 8,000 lives, will not be part of the historical education provided, despite the overwhelming evidence and international rulings to the contrary.

The Ministry further noted that the curriculum will allocate 10 class hours to the subject of the “Republic of Srpska and the Defensive War,” and that this number could be increased in the future. Meanwhile, the broader educational system in RS continues to distance itself from acknowledging the full scope of war crimes committed during the Bosnian War, focusing instead on a selective and highly controversial portrayal of the past.