Škrijelj: University of Sarajevo must not be prey to individuals and private interests, Campus construction is a key project

Rector of the University of Sarajevo for two terms, Prof. Dr. Rifat Škrijelj, summarizes the past eight years in this position in an interview with the Patria News Agency. He speaks openly about the election of the new rector Tarik Zaimović, the greatest successes during his term, but also the attacks by individuals on the University of Sarajevo, the blockade of employment and staff rejuvenation processes, as well as the necessary infrastructure for the further development of the University of Sarajevo. He expressed special gratitude to his vice-rectors in both terms, as well as to the academic staff and employees of the University of Sarajevo.

Interview by: Amra Vrabac

Patria: You are at the end of your second term as Rector of the University of Sarajevo. The new rector, Tarik Zaimović, has also been elected. In recent weeks, we have seen this election being problematized in a certain way. Is there anything controversial about the election of Tarik Zaimović as Rector of UNSA?

Škrijelj: The election of Tarik Zaimović as Rector for the 2024-2028 term was conducted in accordance with the Law on Higher Education and the Statute of UNSA. All processes stipulated by law and bylaws were respected, and Tarik Zaimović is the regularly elected Rector with a three-vote advantage over his opponent. Zaimović will assume the duties of Rector on October 1st, according to the academic calendar.

As far as UNSA and I as Rector are concerned, there is nothing controversial, and that is a closed matter for us. What has been published in the media in recent days is actually an attempt to prevent the election of Tarik Zaimović and the continuation of activities, because before the election, untruths about Tarik Zaimović were published in some media in an attempt to discredit him and UNSA, for reasons unknown to me. Tarik Zaimović was part of my first term and the entire second term as Vice-Rector for Finance. The Senate, which collaborated with Tarik for five and a half years, the deans, and the institute directors elected their rector. I am one of the voters. The story about Tarik Zaimović is a story of private interests of individuals raised to the level of institutions that these individuals are trying to influence, and we will see if they achieve what they intended.

I firmly believe that attempts by individuals to involve the prosecutor's office, police, and inspectorate in the election of the rector through anonymous reports will lead these institutions to understand that they were not formed to deal with academic matters, to deal with processes at the University, but that this is a matter given to the University under its autonomy and academic freedoms, which implies that the University elects its leadership and governing bodies. When individuals can use those state instruments, it is the darkest form of corruption. Official institutions should stop these processes.

Patria: In July, you held a press conference where you presented some of the problems faced by UNSA and you as Rector, and the lack of understanding from the Ministry of Science, Higher Education, and Youth of Sarajevo Canton for the needs of the University of Sarajevo. You then announced that in September you would clearly state the name of the individual who is using UNSA for their personal needs. Which individual did you mean, and what are the current relations between UNSA and the responsible minister, Adna Mesihović?

Škrijelj: Since Minister Adna Mesihović took office, UNSA has tried its best to ensure our cooperation is fair. In some aspects, it started well, but given the situation in the Sarajevo Canton Government, as we can see from the public activities of the KS Government, colleague Mesihović has acted unfairly towards UNSA in several matters.

Employment at UNSA was very slow. The brakes were applied by two ministries whose ministers were appointed by the same political option. These are the Ministry of Science, Higher Education, and Youth of Sarajevo Canton and the Ministry of Finance, and every request for employment was particularly slowed down through these two ministries for completely legitimate requests. When someone retires, someone dies, or someone gets promoted, why should we wait for such requests for which funds are allocated? After that press conference, employment approvals started to be granted a little faster.

Another problem we had was to declare the Campus a project of interest for Sarajevo Canton. Our interest is that everything done in the Campus is done based on the approval of the relevant ministry in order to shorten procedures and avoid seeking permits from the municipality or the Canton. The Sarajevo Canton Government has now accepted this initiative after our press conference.

And the third problem is that in the 2024 budget, the relevant ministry, the Ministry of Finance, and the Sarajevo Canton Government prepared a budget for UNSA according to which, based on certain calculations, over 7 million KM are missing for salaries and other expenses until the end of this year, and when everything stipulated by the collective agreement is taken into account, the amount is 14 million KM.

Patria: How did that happen?

Škrijelj: This happened because all UNSA amendments to the budget were rejected. The UNSA proposal, agreed upon by the Senate, was not considered at all, and they created a smaller budget, which will become apparent in the last quarter. Our founder did not provide enough funds for our University's salaries this year. The signatory of the collective agreement is the Government, i.e., the Prime Minister, and the President of the Trade Union.

Patria: During this second term as Rector from 2020-2024, four ministers of higher education changed, and a new Law on Higher Education was passed. It seems that politics is too involved in the University, and they did not allow the University to play a leading role?

Škrijelj: UNSA has 2,700 employees, making it the institution with the largest number of employees in Sarajevo Canton after the Clinical Center. A team was formed that was supposed to change this law from 2022 or even pass a new law in 2024. This was the idea of that political option led by Damir Marjanović. He wanted to reshape the destiny of the University of Sarajevo according to his political vision. In doing so, he ignored the University and its bodies and institutions where he was educated. A public university like UNSA cannot be a victim of anyone's individual political intentions.

Marjanović and the ministers he proposed, who also manage the Employment Service of Sarajevo Canton, have halted another important University project. This is the hiring of 150 assistants. We asked for a special project to be created. Not employment incentives, but funded from the Service's money. They refused, and to this day, this project has not seen the light of day. This project has been sent and supplemented twice to the ministry through the archive. This includes a fiscal assessment of how much money we need for a year and how much for four years. And every day, professors retire, we have departures from UNSA, not frequently, but someone gets a better opportunity. The last time we hired 150 assistants was in 2018.

It is possible that there is a hidden intention. I saw in the media that an agreement was signed between the Faculty of Pharmacy and the Ministry, according to which the faculty's doctoral students will be trained at a private institution in the field of genetics and molecular biology in Zagreb, and this will be paid for with the budget of Sarajevo Canton. Ten meters away from the Faculty of Pharmacy is the Institute for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology of UNSA, which is a far more prestigious institution than the one in Zagreb. This agreement was signed illegally, if it was signed. I asked the dean and have not yet received a concrete answer. I saw this on the Ministry's website. In this regard, I am in the process of verification, but the question is why the minister responsible for the legality of UNSA's work resorted to an illegal act by inviting the dean of a constituent member, knowing that the dean does not have the authority to sign on behalf of UNSA, as we are a single legal entity. Attempts are being made to invest budget funds of Sarajevo Canton considerably in private institutions, while planning less funds for UNSA for salaries and infrastructure strengthening.

Patria: What is the infrastructure of UNSA like? Some UNSA members do not have their own building, others are tenants, and building construction has been pending for years.

Škrijelj: The accommodation of UNSA members is one of the biggest problems the University has faced in the last 30 years. After the aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina and the devastating war that destroyed some UNSA members, we are in a situation where investment is needed, and only our founder can help us with that.

The Academy of Performing Arts lives, works, and creates top results, winning Oscars and Golden Bears, and it is located in part of the premises of the Faculty of Pedagogy. A lot of millions of marks have been invested in the ASU building, and it has never been completed. UNSA has been involved in this project since last year, and I hope that the academy will move into its new premises within a year.

Another building under construction is the Faculty of Health Studies building. The Music Academy is also a tenant in the premises of the Catholic Church. The Faculty of Economics is partly housed in premises owned by the Orthodox Church. The construction of the Campus is the most important project for Sarajevo Canton, and of invaluable importance for the University. New buildings for housing constituent members, new research infrastructure, is an opportunity to attract new students from new countries abroad, in order to attract the missing number of domestic students, as there are not enough of them. Student dormitories also need to be modernized and equipped. The state that founded the University should help.

Patria: You are leaving the University of Sarajevo with new progress on the Webometrics ranking as well.

Škrijelj: When I took over the University in 2016, we were ranked 1,820th, and then we fell further. Today, as I leave with my team, the University is ranked 1,439th. We used to be among the top 7.5%, and now we are among the top 4.5% of universities. We have also appeared on two other lists: the QS ranking and the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. UNSA has received three serious international recognitions during the mandate we are completing. We received the EU research excellence logo. We also signed the Erasmus protocol until 2027. We are recognized on the European map of universities. We have become a member of the EUPeace alliance and have a serious role in spreading the idea of universities for peace.

Our academic staff will be able to benefit from these serious international achievements of UNSA. We have also had two reaccreditations and have been successfully evaluated by our Agency for Development of Higher Education and Quality Assurance of Bosnia and Herzegovina. What I would like to emphasize is that the legal integration of the University was completed during my mandate. The University is now better organized, financially more stable, and internationally more visible. I must thank our founder for this.

Patria: We recently saw an address from your Vice-Rector for International Cooperation, Enita Nakaš, in the public. Is it true that she is leaving the University of Sarajevo, and does this have anything to do with the election of the new rector?

Škrijelj: Professor Enita Nakaš is completing her term in the Rector's team on September 30th. She performed her duties diligently throughout her term, leading the international cooperation service. It is untrue that she resigned and is leaving UNSA. It is true that for her career reasons, as she wants to organize her life and career differently, she submitted a request for a mutual termination of her contract at the Faculty of Dentistry with the Dental Clinical Center, where she was supposed to return after September 30th as a full professor, and her position was being held for her. She requested a mutual termination of that contract. The reasons she communicated to me as Rector are purely related to her own career development. She wants to dedicate herself to other private and career obligations and leave the Faculty of Dentistry. A false narrative has been constructed that she is leaving the University due to the election of the rector. This has nothing to do with the election of the rector. She decided to dedicate herself to other work.

Patria: Looking back at these eight years, would you have done anything differently?

Škrijelj: I lacked the strength in my first term to start the integration of the University. Perhaps we would be more stable and visible today. We had 31 legal entities, and it stood in court for a long time, sometimes for objective reasons, sometimes for less objective ones. Everything I did for the University, I believe I did for the institution that educated me. I see the results of my work. I want to thank all members of the Senate for supporting and accompanying me, and I wish the future Rector to continue the path of development of the University of Sarajevo.