While the University of Sarajevo Rector “Sleeps”, Ganić Lobbied 18 Million KM for His Faculty

Considering the state of the University of Sarajevo, as well as other public universities in the country, one gets the impression that the state is renouncing knowledge and science, even though it should be its greatest capital, writes the Patria news agency.

Instead of investing in higher education institutions, the state allows dozens of private faculties in Bosnia and Herzegovina to snatch thousands of new students every year, awarding them diplomas under very suspicious circumstances – for minimal knowledge they need to demonstrate before professors.

Apart from money, say Patria's interlocutors, no other norms apply to many private faculties!

The Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy in Sarajevo, Davorka Završnik, recently warned in an interview for the Patria news agency that Bosnia and Herzegovina, although a small country, has as many as eight pharmacy faculties, and that number could soon be even higher.

It is concerning that most of these faculties do not meet even the minimum standards set by the European Union. Cases have been recorded where a single lecturer at such faculties teaches as many as eight subjects!

The Dean of the Faculty of Forestry in Sarajevo, Mirza Dautbašić, also confirmed to Patria that money is the main criterion for a student to obtain a diploma at most private faculties in the country, while the maneuvering space for public higher education institutions is reduced every year.

- This year, we have twice as many students who applied for one of the programs at the Faculty of Forestry than we can admit, but no one wants to increase these quotas. Also, our grant for field teaching has been reduced from 30,000 to 5,000 KM per year – says Dean Dautbašić, adding that he does not understand why the state treats public higher education institutions in the country, which should be the drivers of development for all other segments of society, in such a manner.

Dautbašić also warns that the salaries of professors at the University of Sarajevo are unjustifiably low, which is why most professors go to teach part-time at private faculties to meet their financial needs.

Former rector of the University of Sarajevo, Hasan Muratović, warned back in February this year in an interview with Patria that BiH must constantly work on improving teaching, but also urgently ensure free study for all citizens so that the number of highly educated people in BiH at least doubles in the next few years.

Although Professor Dautbašić does not believe that the Rectorate of the University is to blame for the dire state, at least when it comes to the University of Sarajevo, other interlocutors of Patria believe that the collapse of this strongest educational institution in Bosnia and Herzegovina is solely the fault of the University leadership, headed by Rector Prof. Dr. Muharem Avdispahić.

They explain that about 1,800 professors work at the University of Sarajevo, but the leadership of the University of Sarajevo allowed the winner of this year's grant from the Government of Saudi Arabia, worth ten million dollars (18 million KM), intended for an institute for scientific research in the field of medical sciences and information systems, to be the Sarajevo School of Science and Technology (SSST), owned by Ejup Ganić.