2023Franciscans and Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina - Sheetlets

The first public school in Bosnia and Herzegovina was founded in Tolisa near Orašje in 1823. It was founded by friar Ilija Starčević, who built a special building for the needs of the school, the first of its kind in what was then Bosnia. The curriculum was adopted from Slavonia, and the first teacher was Ilija Boričić from Cerna. In the first year, the school had about eighty students enrolled. Friar Ilija is one of the most famous Franciscans of Bosna Srebrena from the first half of the 19th century. As a Franciscan and educator, he laid the foundations for public education in Bosnia and Herzegovina.