Škrijelj for Patria: Discrimination of students is scandalous, Minister Dilberović is most responsible!

Rector of the University of Sarajevo, Prof. Dr. Rifat Škrijelj, in an interview with the news agency Patria, said that he condemns any form of discrimination, referring to the scandalous withdrawal of an award from young physicist Bahrudin Trbalić (now a student at MIT) solely because he comes from Bosna Sema educational institutions. Trbalić was removed from the list on December 2nd without any explanation, and the award will be given to someone else.

Škrijelj is of the opinion that the greatest blame lies with the Federal Ministry of Education and Minister Elvira Dilberović, who announced the competition.

- Those who award the prize cannot have someone dictate to them who it will be. When someone is valued based on achieved results, we must not discriminate against them on any basis – said the rector, adding that it should have been clearly stated which criteria were not met.

Škrijelj believes that no ministry of education that should respect equality can allow itself discrimination.

- Our best students are not discriminated against anywhere in the world, and I believe this is a case of classic discrimination and deviation from the criteria. Precisely such students, the best students, later enroll in studies of biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics...

Also, as he pointed out, Bosna Sema institutions operate and function according to the laws of Bosnia and Herzegovina and have been functioning that way for years.

The rector said that such cases only harm young people who are recognized experts in various fields around the world.