Minister Bošković for Patria on Public Call Results Delay: Golden Badges are a Priority

(Patria) - Minister of Science, Higher Education and Youth of Sarajevo Canton Dušanka Bošković confirmed for Patria that she is aware of the situation regarding the Public Call for co-financing the costs of the third cycle of studies at the University of Sarajevo for recipients of the Golden Badge, meaning that the results of the public call from July have never been published.

"As I am only starting my activities today, this is the first topic that my employees need to brief me on. The Golden Badges are a particular priority, as are all applications for the public call, behind which lies a great deal of effort from my colleagues," Bošković told Patria.

The official website of the Ministry of Science, Higher Education and Youth still displays the public call from July, but not the list of doctoral students who have been approved for co-financing.

In fact, the Public Call was supposed to be published in 2024, but it was actually published in mid-summer 2025. Therefore, the students, through the fault of the Sarajevo Canton Government and the relevant ministry, have lost a year, having paid for their enrollment in the third cycle of studies with their own money.

A group of Golden Badge recipients contacted media outlets, as well as the Prime Minister of Sarajevo Canton and the Ministry, again by email on October 23rd.

"I will ask that, as a group, we receive information on when the results of this public call for co-financing the 3rd cycle of studies for Golden Badge recipients of UNSA are expected, over 3 months have passed since it was announced, and before that it was awaited for months, i.e., since October 2024.

Is it possible that it is impossible to get even information about it, let alone the funds that are a year late?

We are used to our salaries being late, but it was all during a turbulent period of ministerial changes. Now that she is here, we don't see what else we are waiting for. I won't say that some of us have been disappointed for a long time by the topic of real estate co-financing. At least now we have been declaratively respected in that regard, albeit with a significant delay.

Greetings from a group of dissatisfied 'best' students," the email states.

The Ministry has been led alternately since April 2025, when Minister Adna Mesihović was arrested, by Darja Softić-Kadenić, and from the second half of July by Zlatko Mijatović.

Bošković was appointed minister on October 15th, so she faces numerous challenges in this area.

The last co-financing agreements for the third cycle of studies were signed in January 2024 with 29 Golden Badge recipients, for which 203,300 KM was allocated.

If the Public Call was announced in July, then the money existed. What happened in the meantime and why are there no results from the public call, the Golden Badges need to be answered first by the Prime Minister of Sarajevo Canton Nihad Uk, as well as the relevant minister.