Why Are Candidates' Names Being Hidden: Are Staff from Private Universities Taking Over the Agency for Development of Higher Education of BiH?

Written by: Amra Vrabac

If a public competition for a leadership position in a public institution, especially a state-level one, is not fully transparent and you cannot obtain the information you request, then it is a signal that such a competition is pre-contaminated with suspicion that a story with a political connotation lies behind it all.

The competition procedure for the selection of the director of the Agency for Development of Higher Education and Quality Assurance of BiH, as well as two deputies, is underway. The deadline for applications was December 19, and the competition procedure is ongoing. That is all you can get from the competent institutions. The mandate of the director and deputies expires at the end of February.

Last week, we asked the Ministry of Civil Affairs of BiH when the competition for the selection of the director and two deputy directors of the Agency for Development of Higher Education and Quality Assurance of BiH was closed, how many applications were received for the director and who applied, and how many for the deputies and who applied.

We received an answer to very precise questions. Although we commend the promptness in responding on the same day we asked, the most important questions again remained unanswered.

“The Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted the Information on the expiration of the mandate of the director and two deputy directors submitted by the Agency for Development of Higher Education and Quality Assurance of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: HEA).

The public competition for the selection of the director and two deputy directors of the HEA was announced and published in three daily newspapers and official gazettes, with the deadline for applications on December 19, 2024. A Commission for the selection of the director and two deputy directors of the HEA was appointed, whose duty is to conduct the selection of the director and two deputy directors of the HEA and propose a ranking list of the best candidates for the director and two deputy directors of the HEA, who are appointed by the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The competition procedure is ongoing,” was the response from the Ministry of Civil Affairs of BiH, which announces the public competition for this state institution.

To the additional question of who the members of the Commission are, and whether it is a Commission appointed by the Ministry of Civil Affairs of BiH, we did not receive an answer. Unofficially, we received information that the Commission is appointed by the minister, and even some employees of the Ministry did not know that a competition procedure was underway.

We remind you that Patria reported last week that one of the candidates for the position of director is Ibrahim Obhođaš, a cadre of the movement For New Generations, founded by Damir Marjanović.

Obhođaš is the dean of the Faculty of Information Technologies of the University of Vitez, and is engaged as an associate professor at the Pan-European University Apeiron Banja Luka.

Obhođaš completed his undergraduate studies at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Sarajevo, and his master's degree at the International University "Philip Noel-Baker", which was closed in 2011. According to the published biography, he completed his doctoral studies at the Faculty of Business Economics - University "VITEZ".

Given that Obhođaš also has a political engagement, and in November 2023 he was elected as one of the three coordinators of the ZNG, which according to the Statute is a body of this movement, it is unclear whether Obhođaš left that position before applying for the competition or whether he submitted a statement that is not entirely accurate. The competition required a statement that he does not hold a position in a political party.

Did Obhođaš leave his party position?

Post on the official ZNG website from November 2023.

On the ZNG website, Obhođaš is still listed in the “Our Team” section.

On the other hand, a battle will also be waged for the two deputies from the ranks of the Serbian and Croatian peoples.
What is particularly interesting is that the still current deputy director of the Agency, Stevo Škrbić, is engaged at the Pan-European University Apeiron Banja Luka, where Obhođaš is also engaged. However, that is not the only coincidence.

When it comes to other candidates for director, Halid Žigić from the European University Kallos Tuzla, whose operating license was recently revoked and then reinstated, also applied.

Although the Ministry of Civil Affairs of BiH did not answer who the applicants are, Jelena Starčević, assistant minister for higher education in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the RS, reportedly applied for the position of deputy director. Starčević is also a lecturer at the Pan-European University Apeiron.

If the Ministry of Civil Affairs of BiH provides the names of the candidates for these three positions, we will publish them subsequently.