Education Inter-ethnic school activities In a heavily politicized environment, the education system was functioning under the framework of a fragmented administration and segregated institutions. Curricula were based on ethnocentric principles. As a result, all aspects of school life remained ethnically coloured in the different communities’ languages and curricula. Although the legal framework and educational policies were relatively well developed, these were infrequently reflected in practice. Because of the gap between policy and practice, children and youth were deprived of equal access to quality pre-primary, primary, and secondary education. Following its initial engagement in education reform, the OSCE initiated and supported various activities and initiatives focusing on building bridges within and between divided communities, and promoted a culture of tolerance. In an area with an ethnically-mixed population, children and youth were attending schools that taught the different communities’ languages and curricula. The OSCE organized a series of events that brought schools together across ethnic lines. The activities included workshops, roundtables, study trips, religious activities, and visits to cultural sites. As a result, the schools established closer co-operation. The events also created opportunities for students, teachers, and parents to meet their counterparts from other ethnic groups and to learn about each other—often for the first time. Although they supported such activities, the national education institutions often 49