The Government of Republic of Srpska adopted Information on the process of accreditation of higher education institutions in the Republic of Srpska on the 9th session held on 21st February. At the press conference after the Government’s session, the Minister of Ministry for Scientific and Technological Development, Higher Education and Information Society Srdjan Rajcevic said that it was an information on the current issue regarding the accreditation of higher education institutions in Republic of Srpska, primarily two public universities, University of Banja Luka and University of East Sarajevo.
"The problem with the Agency for Development of Higher Education and Quality Assurance has been lasting for some time now and we have come to the point when it threatens to escalate," the minister said and explained that the EU Delegation in BiH gave a deadline until 31st March 2019 for finishing re-accreditation of higher education institutions, so they can be registered in the state register with the BiH Agency.
Minister Rajcevic appealed upon finding the qay out of the situation where one director of the common BiH institution, BiH Agency, holds the entire BiH a hostage. "I appeal to the Council of Ministers, i.e Ministry of Internal Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina to influence the director Halilovic in order to overcome this problem and carry on process of re-accreditation," Rajcevic said.
Director of the Higher Education Accreditation Agency of the Republic of Srpska, Biljana Vojvodic PhD, pointed out that higher education institutions in Republic of Srpska have been accredited, that their accreditations are valid until 2020 and that they fulfil all their obligations regarding compliance with the law and quality assurance in the area of higher education.
"The Higher Education Accreditation Agency of the Republic of Srpska was established in 2011 and our higher education institutions are the first accredited higher education institutions in BiH, and for that reason they are the first entered into the register kept at the level of BiH and now are the first in in line for the re-accreditation process" Vojvodic explained.
She stressed that the Agency will make efforts to ensure that this re-accreditation process, or external evaluation by the commission of experts, takes place within the deadlines set by the European Commission.
Press conference of BiH Agency was held next day by the director of BiH Agency, Enver Halilovic, who was claiming that he was "manipulated by the public and misled by the academic community in Republika Srpska". He stressed that he personally does not feel responsible for the chaotic situation with regard to accreditation.
This conference was followed by a press release of the deputy director of the BiH Agency, representative of Serbs, Slobodan Stanic who dissociated himself from Halilovic’s point of view, believing that this is "one in a series of wrong steps".
'' On 19th February 2019, we had important meeting with representatives of the Republic of Srpska where the feeling was that there were elements for reaching a compromise at that important moment, but that was not recognized or used to address the problem, "Stanic pointed out.
Stanic emphasizes that all participants in this process must work for the well-being of students and their parents, otherwise, the entire area will be isolated from the European Higher Education Area, mobility of students and teachers will be endangered, and therefore exchange of ideas, scientific research work and all other segments that make up the European Higher Education Area.
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