Our history

The scholarship program was started in 1902, when the Serbian Educational and Cultural Society “Prosvjeta” (“Society” or “Prosvjeta”) was founded in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. “Prosvjeta” was established by a newly educated generation of Serbian youth, who returned to their homeland after studies abroad and wanted to contribute to public life. In Sarajevo, on 20 December 1901, 29 Serbian intellectuals sent a request to the National Government to establish “Prosvjeta”, with the aim of educating the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina and providing material assistance to students.

Since its foundation, “Prosvjeta” has gathered some of the greatest intellectuals of our nation, such as – Aleksa Šantić, Ivo Andrić, Jefto Dedijer, Branko Radulović, Atanasije Šola, Grigorije Petrov, Jovan Dučić, Jovan Cvijić, Pero Slijepčević, Petar Kočić, Svetozar and Vladimir Ćorović, Uroš Krulj and many others, who not only encouraged the work of the Society with their great creative energy, but also helped it financially.

The Society was banned twice, in both world wars – in 1914 and in 1941, and in 1949 the communist authorities closed it down, only for “Prosvjeta” to restart its activities again in 1990.

However, regardless of the turbulent historical circumstances, the main objective remained the same: education of the youth, cultural and educational programs for the Serbian and other people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, establishment of libraries and funding publishing activities.

The scholarship program was renewed in 2016, first under the name “Scholarship of (descendants) the Dokić family for the children of Mostar”, which was initiated by Slavko Andrejević (descendant of the well known Mostar family Dokic – Anika (maiden name: Jelačić) and Špiro Dokić), with the support of the Bishop of Zahum-Herzegovina and Primorska, as well as the family of Boris Peško.

In 2018, this initiative was expanded to include other donors has been renamed the “Vladimir Ćorović” Scholarship after a well known Mostar intellectual in early XX century who was also a recipient of the “Prosvjeta” scholarship program.

In 2019 the scholarship program further expanded to include all pupils and students from the entire territory of the Diocese of Zahum – Herzegovina and Primorska.