UNSA: Will Škrijelj fulfill Sebija Izetbegović's wish to become a member of the Senate?

Rifat Škrijelj, the now former dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, will take over the duty of rector tomorrow, October 1st, as stipulated by the Statute of the University of Sarajevo, writes the Patria news agency.

Before taking up this duty, Škrijelj received a task from the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) to fulfill the new wish of Sebija Izetbegović, director of KCUS and wife of Bakir Izetbegović, president of SDA and chairman of the BiH Presidency.

As Patria learns from well-informed sources, Dr. Izetbegović wants to be a member of the UNSA Senate, and to achieve this, the UNSA Statute needs to be amended.

The ambitious Dr. Izetbegović wants to become part of the University of Sarajevo, where she also wants her will to be respected, and several professors and deans confirmed to Patria that this is already being widely discussed.

Incidentally, until 2013, the University of Sarajevo Clinical Center, in accordance with the regulations at the time, had its representative in the Senate, but after the Statute was adopted in 2013, KCUS ceased to be an affiliated member of the University, and there was no need for them to be part of the Senate.

The Faculty of Medicine in Sarajevo cooperates with KCUS based on a cooperation agreement, as clinical subjects are studied at KCUS.

- If the goal is for Izetbegović to be in the Senate, it will be achieved, as they have enough votes to amend the Statute. Many are talking about it, and it is also known that an act is being prepared that will enable Dr. Izetbegović to become a member of the Senate - says our source.

Sebija Izetbegović also paved her way to the Senate outside of Škrijelj. Thus, on September 15th, at KCUS, she invited the heads of departments for clinical subjects at the Faculty of Medicine, who are also employees of KCUS, to her office and asked them to support her in her work!?

At the session of the Scientific-Teaching Council of the Faculty of Medicine, a discussion also arose because it was unclear to many members why Izetbegović had convened the heads of departments, and later the teaching staff. Her action was assessed as Izetbegović's desire to "rule" at the Faculty of Medicine as well.

The University Statute is also clear on the issue of political activities of professors, deans, rectors...

- Organizing or acting of political parties, as well as holding rallies or other forms of activity based on party goals, is not allowed at the University and its organizational units. Members of the academic community are obliged to act politically neutrally within the University in relation to their potential party affiliations - the Statute states.

However, it is clear that this article is not being respected, as Rector Škrijelj is a member of SDA. At the last SDA Congress, he presented the party's plans in the field of education.

Škrijelj is also a member of the current commission for amending the law on higher education and, as far as is known, enjoys absolute support within SDA. According to data from the website, Škrijelj is also a member of the Executive Board of KO SDA Sarajevo. Also, according to a tacit agreement, as the media previously reported, the position of rector was ceded by SBB to SDA.

Now, if Dr. Izetbegović also becomes a member of the Senate, the autonomy of the University of Sarajevo will be highly questionable, which also violates the Statute.

- After mastering healthcare, Dr. Izetbegović wants to master, first and foremost, the Faculty of Medicine, and then have her word and decisions respected in the Senate itself. It is regrettable that this is happening, because the University of Sarajevo is a world-recognized educational institution, and I fear that with such machinations, we will fall into a labyrinth from which it will be difficult to escape - our source added.