Municipality of Teslić gains two new sports fields and a children’s playground

Ambassador Johann Sattler, Head of the EU Delegation and EU Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina officially opened two newly built ports fields and a children’s playground within the Elementary School “Ivo Andrić” in the local community of Đulići, Municipality of Teslić. For the construction of these sports facilities as well as the purchase of additional school equipment, the European Union provided 200,000 BAM within the “EU for local communities” project.

The primary school “Ivo Andrić” is one of the largest in the area, with approximately 400 students.   New sports fields and school equipment will improve working conditions for all students while also helping to foster physical culture and promote sports among young people.

“A healthy mind in a healthy body is crucial when it comes to children’s education. Children hugely benefit from having safe, well-equipped and modern spaces to run, play and exercise. I am therefore very glad that we have funded the construction of new sports fields and a children’s playground in the Municipality of Teslić. EU assistance comes in different forms, including major grants for infrastructure, support for small businesses and start-ups, or assistance in the healthcare and education sectors. The EU and its member states are a loyal friend and partner to Bosnia and Herzegovina, supporting the country on its path to the EU”, said Ambassador Sattler.

The sports fields and children’s playground will be open to all residents in Teslić throughout the year, providing a quality environment for sports and recreation, as well as for children, young people and their parents to gather.

Mayor of Teslić Municipality Milan Miličević stated that sports fields and a children’s playground are extremely important for this large local community, inhabited partly by the resident population, a significant number of refugees and displaced persons, and towards which a large number of young people gravitate. “It is an important project for the local community and the municipality of Teslić, which received a well-equipped and modern sports complex. I am grateful to the European Union for its wholehearted help and for funding this entire project. This place has already become a gathering place for children and youth, which in today’s modern times is important to motivate them to be more oriented towards nature, sports and a healthy lifestyle“, emphasized Miličević.

“This project created ideal conditions for the implementation of physical and health education classes, both in the gym and outdoors. Our younger students spend quality time on the children’s playground, which has numerous facilities for playing and socializing. Given that after school, a large number of young people gather on sports fields and children’s playgrounds where they spend time with socializing and sports activities, this project is of great importance both for the school and for the local community”, said Biljana Kuzmanović, director of the elementary school “Ivo Andrić”.

The activity, whose primary goal was to improve the quality of life of residents of Teslić, was carried out as part of the “EU for local communities” project, which was funded by the European Union to improve citizens’ living standards and strengthen the capacities of local communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The project is implemented by the Centar za promociju civilnog društva (CPCD) with the partner organization Help.

The European Union finances numerous projects to improve the education sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The assistance is in the areas of higher education quality assurance, vocational educational training, career management, human resource development, and student mobility in higher education.

Furthermore, with the goal of improving education quality as one of the key elements of the country’s development, the European Union finances numerous infrastructure projects, such as the renovation of sports halls in 18 educational institutions in BiH, and will soon start with the project on the renovation of school facilities throughout BiH.