TIME: Wednesday, 18.11.2020. in 12:00
Link to participate in the discussion
The Network of Academic Solidarity and Engagement (MASA) invites you to a panel discussion regarding the report of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) and the exclusion of the National Body for Credit and Quality Control from full membership. The ENQA report drew attention to the problems in the process of accreditation of higher education institutions in Serbia, which the professional public drew attention to before, but they did not receive more attention until the publication of this report.
The Serbian public has been discussing a lot about the possible consequences that the suspension will have on students, faculties and higher education as a whole. MASA would like to draw attention to the aspects of this report that burden the ongoing process of accreditation of higher education programs, represent a risk for the impartiality of the accreditation process and threaten the achieved international status of universities in Serbia and their students in the long term.
We will discuss the following topics:
- Legal solutions that enable the direct interference of the RS Government and the relevant minister in the work of the highest bodies that regulate higher education in Serbia: the National Body for Accreditation and Quality Control and the National Council for Higher Education
- Deficiencies in the quality control process, as insisted on by the ENQA report, which allow the accreditation of institutions that fictitiously meet the accreditation requirements or run programs that are not in accordance with the obtained accreditation.
- The role of the National Council for Higher Education in the accreditation process, which in the appeal process can provide accreditation to institutions that do not meet the requirements or, by delaying the process, enable the implementation of programs rejected by NAT.
- Last but not least, the imposition of high costs on higher education institutions in the accreditation process favoring commercially viable programs that often lead to collapsing standards and degree inflation.
Participant(s):
- Prof. Jelena Kočović, full professor at the Faculty of Economics, University of Belgrade, director of the National Body for Accreditation and Quality Control in Higher Education.
- Prof. Nebojša Janićijević, full professor at the Faculty of Economics, University of Belgrade, member of the Commission for Accreditation and Quality Control in the period from 2006 to 2013.
- Prof. Marko Simendić, associate professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Belgrade.
- Moderator: assistant professor Oliver Tošković, assistant professor at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade.
