Government of TK and Prime Minister Gutić are dismantling the University of Tuzla: Opening space for private faculties

The Senate of the University of Tuzla disagrees with the proposed Law on Higher Education created by the Government of TK led by Prime Minister Bego Gutić (SDA) and supported by the ruling majority, as it leads to the extinguishing of the University of Tuzla, reports the Bosnian news agency Patria.

Edin Pjanić, dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Tuzla, told FTV that a law created in this way leads to the complete politicization of the University's work, which would very likely result in the abolition of the public university in Tuzla.

In this way, the Government wants to control financial flows and abolish the academic independence of the University. Without the Government's consent, rectors and deans will not be able to be elected, and it will directly interfere in the selection of academic titles.

The academic community claims that the law was created in secret without their knowledge.

Rector of the University of Tuzla Aida Crnkić said that no one from the academic community participated in the creation of the draft of this law on higher education.

The Senate believes that the law is tailored for suspicious private universities to which the Government expeditiously and illegally issued operating licenses.

Under the new law, the Assembly can even establish a university with any private university, company, or individual.

- The adopted draft enables the privatization of the University of Tuzla by existing private higher education institutions or even a single individual, which is contrary to the framework law - says Pjanić.

Vedad Pašić, a member of the Board of Directors of the University of Tuzla, says that the law is grammatically incorrect, inconsistent, contradictory, and in many of its articles regarding university autonomy, it conflicts with the Bologna Declaration.

With this law, Prime Minister Gutić is destroying the University of Tuzla, while on the other hand, Gutić and the President of the TK Assembly Senad Alić are opening private universities and expeditiously issuing them operating licenses.

Prime Minister Gutić first earned his master's degree at the University of Travnik and then issued it an operating license, while Alić first gave a ceremonial speech and became a postgraduate student at the private University of Kallos.