Deans and professors on the Law on Higher Education: Instead of going towards Europe, UNSA is localizing

After the Law on Higher Education was adopted in the KS Assembly on Monday, the reactions are not subsiding. The academic community has announced a continuation of the fight for autonomy, and it is not excluded that the dismissal of the KS Minister of Education Elvir Kazazović and his assistant Sifet Kuruz will be requested, reports the Patria agency. 

The Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo, Salih Fočo, told Patria that the adopted Law on Higher Education will negatively affect the financial framework because faculties will lose their own funds by switching to the treasury.

- The Sarajevo Canton will lose about 50 million KM annually. With this law, the University of Sarajevo is hindered from integrative processes, and student exchanges within the Erasmus+ program will be called into question. Those projects are planned a year in advance - said Fočo.

He says that last year alone, 72 students visited the Faculty of Philosophy, and 32 from the Faculty of Philosophy went to other faculties.

- We planned for it to be 100 students this year, but it is very likely that this will not happen.

Dean Fočo said that the law reduces the University of Sarajevo to a local level instead of moving towards Europe.

- Student diplomas will also be called into question because this law is also detrimental to them - Fočo is categorical.  

Professor Dženan Đonlagić from the Faculty of Economics in Sarajevo told NAP that the law passed by the KS Assembly will halt the growth and development of the University of Sarajevo in the medium term. He believes that the deadline for abolishing the legal subjectivity of UNSA members is too short. 

- This law will also demotivate the work of academic staff.

Professor Đonlagić also states that the introduction of the University of Sarajevo into treasury operations will be a problem.

- 120 to 130 million KM is needed for the University of Sarajevo to function. Of that amount, 66 million KM was provided by the KS Government. So, this difference will now be loaded onto the budget, given that faculties and institutes will no longer generate their own funds. Where will the Ministry find those funds – asks Đonlagić.

He said that the optimal solution would be for the University of Sarajevo to be a treasury and for the money provided by the KS Government to go to UNSA's account, from where it would be distributed to its members.

- A financial report is created, sent to the Management Board, and further to the founder. This way, you have control over the spending of money, and if necessary, an annual audit can be conducted – says Đonlagić.

Nihad Fejzić, dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, pointed out that the over-regulation we have in higher education is detrimental to this field and that it would be better to directly apply the Framework Law on Higher Education. Fejzić said that all international projects and the money they were supposed to receive will be jeopardized because they will lose their legal entity status.

Nedžad Korajlić, dean of the Faculty of Criminal Justice, Criminology and Security Studies, said that the academic community tried to fight for some changes before the law was passed.

- Now that it has been passed, I, as a legalist, believe it should be respected. I also believe that the academic community should not remain silent and that everything proposed as amendments to the law should be done in accordance with the procedures for changing laws – said Korajlić.

He adds that if the KS Government publishes the law in the Official Gazette during August, a confusing situation will arise, given that it is the holiday season and that numerous bylaws that faculties need to adopt cannot be fulfilled in a short period. He hopes that the KS Government will nevertheless publish the law in September due to these circumstances.