After several months of repeated requests, the Agency for Developement of Higher Education and Quality Assurance has registered the University of Banja Luka and the University of East Sarajevo in the State Register of Accredited Higher Education Institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina (the Register).
The enrollment followed discussions between the Higher Education Accreditation Agency of Republika Srpska, Ministry for Scientific and Technological Development, Higher Education and Information Society and the Agency for Development of Higher Education and Quality Assurance, which was mediated by experts from the TAIEX Mission of Professional Assessment - Accreditation of Higher Education Institutions organized by the European Commission.
It is important to emphasize that enrollment in the Registry establishes continuity in the accreditation of higher education institutions and that students will have no problems enrolling in other higher education institutions in countries from the region and Europe, which is also important for the participation of universities in EU funded projects.
We remind that the delay of the entry in the referred Register lasted more than ten months, and that the Delegation of the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina was actively involved in mediating in overcoming this problem. In this regard, the European Commission has submitted a notice on the holding of the Professional Assessment Mission - Accreditation of Higher Education Institutions, held from February 4-7, 2020 in Sarajevo and Banja Luka.
The Expert Assessment Mission is a mechanism through which the European Commission (in addition to the Questionnaires and Consultations), after submitting an EU Membership Application, collects information on specific areas, after which an Assessment Report on the area and compliance with EU requirements is drawn up.
The peer review mission has hired two eminent experts in the field of quality assurance in the European Higher Education Area, Maria Weber from The Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation Austria (AQ Austria) and Karl Dittrich, President of The European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education ( EQAR).
The primary objective of the mission is to provide BiH institutions, which are involved in the accreditation of higher education institutions and study programs, with support and guidance in designing, implementing and monitoring the accreditation process. The report of the Professional Assessment Mission should provide the clear recommendations needed for the full long-term functionality of the accreditation system of higher education institutions and study programs.
For the purpose of thorough preparation of experts, all institutions participating in the Expert Mission were tasked with the preparation of translated documentation - laws, regulations, reports and other relevant documents.
Representatives of The European Commission, The Delegation of the European Union to BiH, The Directorate for European Integration of BiH, The Ministry of Civil Affairs, The Agency for Development of Higher Education and Quality Assurance, The Higher Education Accreditation Agency of Republika Srpska, The Ministry for Scientific and Technological Development, Higher Education and Information Society, cantonal ministries responsible for higher education from the Federation of BiH and public universities in BiH participated in The Expert Evaluation Mission.
The five-member delegation of The Higher Education Accreditation Agency of Republika Srpska was led by the Director of the Agency, Biljana Vojvodic, PhD.
On the last day of the Mission, experts presented a preliminary report, while a final report with detailed recommendations and guidelines is expected in the next 15 days.
