Parents of students at 'Skender Kulenović' Elementary School oppose appointment of principal who earned master's degree at Kallos

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Parents of students at OŠ “Skender Kulenović” in Dobrinja have sent a letter to the media, relevant institutions, and the Chairman of the Assembly of the Sarajevo Canton, Elvedin Okerić, and all representatives in the Assembly of the Sarajevo Canton regarding the selection of the principal of this elementary school.

In their letter, which they also sent to the Office for the Fight against Corruption and Quality Management of the Sarajevo Canton, they request that the documentation of candidate Senadin Tucaković be checked. He is a mathematics teacher at this school and earned his master's degree at the private European University Kallos in Tuzla, which is not accredited. The parents believe that this candidate does not meet the competition requirements. The competition was announced in September 2021, and it required candidates to have at least a seventh level of professional qualification, i.e., completed at least the second cycle of the Bologna higher education process.

Tucaković has already received approval from the Ministry of Education and Science, i.e., Minister Naida Hota-Muminović, and the parents are requesting that the entire case be reviewed.

Incidentally, as published on the Kallos website, Tucaković was a student in the Mathematics and Physics study program in February 2021.

“He completed his studies in March 2021 and applied for the competition with a Certificate of completed studies, but the diplomas have not yet been promoted. The facts are that the candidate for principal was also a member of the School Board at the same time, and we freely assess that, in collaboration with some parties, people who, like him, lobbied, obtained such status, especially since he received votes from 45 employees from the school,” the letter states.

His opposing candidates were Arnela Borovac-Bekaj, a doctor of science who earned her title at a state university, and professor and master Elvedina Begić, an English language professor from a state faculty, who also holds the title of court interpreter.

“It is surprising that the Ministry's vote goes to someone from a non-accredited higher education institution and that such a diploma is given priority over state universities. The Cantonal Prosecutor's Office in Tuzla has initiated a case related to the European University „Kallos“, which operates without accreditation, and is investigating whether there have been employments in public institutions with invalid documents from the mentioned higher education institution. The Prosecutor's Office opened a case in November 2021 related to this private higher education institution, which cannot issue diplomas according to the provisions of the Law on Higher Education of the Tuzla Canton,” the parents state in the letter.

The parents request that the Government of the Sarajevo Canton reconsider this appointment, given that a verification of employments in the public sector with non-accredited diplomas from this university is underway.

“What message is being sent to the 1,003 students and parents of that school? We cannot believe that the Ministry of Education and Science supports private non-accredited faculties and thereby further undermines the credibility of primary and secondary education, creating a wrong impression of the difference between an accredited and a non-accredited faculty. All these dirty and improper actions should not have happened to a school bearing the name of Skender Kulenović,” the parents conclude.