Following 'Cluster' operation, Dodik demands scrutiny of diplomas of officials from Travnik and Široki Brijeg

(Patria) - The 'Cluster' operation, in which heads and responsible persons of several private universities were suspected of various criminal offenses, mostly in Republika Srpska, Brčko, Mostar, and Travnik, did not provoke an excessive reaction from either the political sphere or the public.

Although the issue of certain private universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been problematized in public for a long time, with hundreds of articles written about diploma purchases, hasty master's and doctoral degrees, and promotions in institutions with "fake diplomas," the BiH Prosecutor's Office has only awakened in the last two years. Work on the American University in BiH case has never been concluded, and a new operation has been launched. The scale of abuses in the higher education system, especially in some private universities, colleges, and centers, will never be fully revealed. However, a good path towards establishing order is the implementation of regular controls by the competent ministries that issue operating permits and inspections. 

Although a reaction was expected from the Agency for Development of Higher Education and Quality Assurance, whose list of accredited universities includes those covered by the investigation, and from the BiH Ministry of Civil Affairs, which is responsible for the education sector, as well as from some public university rectors, this did not happen. It should be noted that Croatia and Slovenia have been blocking the recognition of diplomas from BiH for several months, and additional information about certain higher education institutions has been requested from the BiH Ministry of Civil Affairs. 

There were only a few sporadic reactions in the public. One of the first to speak out was the cantonal representative and delegate in the House of Peoples of the FBiH Parliament, Damir Marjanović, who is also a professor at a private university in Sarajevo. He emphasized that the higher education sector is one of the key issues for BiH and that he discussed this very topic with Milorad Dodik during their meeting in Banja Luka in December.

He called on the competent Ministry of Civil Affairs and the newly formed Council of Ministers to urgently take all steps to regulate this area of activity.

"These are priorities, and we have advocated for them from the very beginning of the negotiations within and outside the 'Eight' coalition. In the end, we would not like to think that we have perhaps become undesirable partners in the future government precisely because of this. Regardless, as always, I am available to resolve this problem in the coming months, because we know how," Marjanović concluded.

Dodik also commented today. He stated that he agrees that those involved in selling diplomas must be most severely sanctioned, and that institutions where this practice occurred should have their licenses revoked for further operation.

"In this regard, I support the work of the competent institutions to investigate this phenomenon to the end and punish those responsible. It is necessary to examine and determine the validity of diplomas originating from these private faculties, based on which certain individuals are employed in government institutions, as well as to thoroughly examine the diplomas from Travnik and Široki Brijeg based on which individuals have been employed.

However, the entire higher education system, established in this manner according to the Bologna Process, needs to be redefined. It was modeled according to the requirements of the European Union as part of the reforms they requested to be implemented, and by established rule, we were conditioned to receive certain funds from European funds. We need to enter into the process of verification and new licensing of all private faculties, towards which the public's negative attitude is justified," said Dodik.

He stated that this issue is fundamentally important for Republika Srpska.