The school year in Bosnia and Herzegovina will start at the beginning of September, and while classes will take place as usual in the Republika Srpska (RS) entity, the ten cantons in the other semi-autonomous entity, the Federation (FBiH), will decide how to organise classes in light of the coronavirus pandemic at a later date.

The school year 2021/2022 begins on September 1 in primary and secondary schools in Republika Srpska and classes will last 45 minutes, RS Government decided on Thursday.

RS Education and Culture Minister, Natalija Trivic, said that for students who are chronically ill and who have a doctor's note saying that they should not attend classes in person, schools are obliged to organize online classes.

Meanwhile, the Government of the FBiH also discussed the issue on Thursday.

Assistant FBiH Health Minister, Goran Cerkez, said that the government prefers the option to have students go back to school, but that the decision is ultimately up to local authorities in the cantons.

Prime ministers and health ministers of the ten cantons will discuss the issue at a session next week.

The Tuzla Canton earlier announced that classes will take place at full capacity.