[ad_1]
The state of higher education in Bosnia and Herzegovina is a mirror of the country – effective in micro, worrying in macro. Trends indicate constant monitoring of the needs of the labor market, rapid adaptation and modern study programs with a large number of theoretical and practical courses, as well as scientific research, but these are huge challenges for higher education institutions. It is necessary to discover “today’s” expertise and competences that will be needed in five or ten years and that do not exist at present. This requires a lot of financial efforts, research and engagement in addition to regular activities.
The University of Mostar is the only public higher education institution that teaches in Croatian and whose courses are accredited by several important institutions that are a guarantee of EU recognition of diplomas, which provides students with broad scope for career and professional development of graduates. It ranks alongside world universities in international rankings by Times Higher Education, WURI and QS with enviable results. The bar has been raised, and with the increasing financial difficulties faced by the University of Mostar, is this situation sustainable?
Media columns are full of criticism of the university, with a lot of half-information, but the real question should be how does the University of Mostar raise funds in the first place?
The founding funding model of the University of Mostar foresees that the funding obligation is borne by the founders, namely: the County of Herzegovina-Neretva, the County of Central Bosnia, the County of Western Herzegovina, the County of Herceg-Bosnia and Posavina. The motto is that the University of Mostar is one of the main pillars of the existence and survival of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
However, the financial data for 2023 still show that the main financial income of the University of Mostar comes from tuition fees and matriculation fees, which gives us reason to believe that the University of Mostar should be called a “student university”. It is neither news nor unnews that tuition fees should be reduced, or should not exist at all, but how to proceed with such an approach, since it would endanger the current working model of the University of Mostar?
The responsibility lies with the founders, who do not seem to understand the importance of the University of Mostar, as they have not fulfilled their financial obligations to the University, which according to the founding obligations they were obliged to fulfill, thus allowing for the smooth development of the University of Mostar, the high quality of the work of the University of Mostar, reducing the financial burden on students and their families, and improving the status of all employees of the University of Mostar.
Data for 2023 show that the University of Mostar has about 550 employees, of which slightly more than 40% come from the County of Western Herzegovina, which only paid 364,999.00 km to the University of Mostar’s 2023 budget, while the County of Neretva, Herzegovina paid 6,136,000.00 km. Moreover, the number of students in ZHZ is huge, and most of them return to ZHZ after completing their studies, to work, live and contribute to the county.
The mentioned 40% of employees of the University of Mostar ZHŽ also spend their money mainly on ZHŽ. The question is why the County of West Herzegovina has such a relationship with the University of Mostar. Instead of being strategic partners and founders, as they legally should be in reality, they act as if the University of Mostar does not matter, it is just an incidental budget item. In 2023, the Central Bosnia County paid 564,000.00 km, the Herceg-Bosnia County paid 288,000.00 km, the Posavina County paid 200,000.00 km, in short, when all the expenses are added up, the founders paid slightly less than 25% of the budget of the University of Mostar.
If this is the case, then the University of Mostar is obviously not needed, as money is not spent on unnecessary budget items?
If the University of Mostar did not exist, would Croats go to study in Croatia or would they finish their studies in Bosnia and Herzegovina in some other language, with a bitter taste in their mouths and a feeling of unfairness? Who would they blame then – students, parents, employers and all other thoughtful Croats who would grieve for the young people who left and stayed somewhere else or for the young people who stayed here and forgot their language and identity? Is the University of Mostar guilty or are its founders guilty?
It turns out that the founders of the University of Mostar must think seriously about what kind of university they want, and do they want it at all? The financing problem of the University of Mostar is getting bigger and bigger, and the solution lies in determining Croatia’s policy in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Do they need the University of Mostar?
Judging from the current situation, they do not need the university, or rather, they do not want to act as long as the university is functioning to a certain extent. However, the situation is alarming, and the current strategy shows more and more flaws, which will greatly affect the future of the University of Mostar, the future of young people. Without the possibility of quality education, there will be no possibility of quality talents for the economy, no possibility of progress for the country, and no possibility of the struggle for survival in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Are all the players in this process – university management and founders – guilty?
The facts cited that seem to be systematically ignored show that they are indeed so! Protecting the current situation is not a strategy for the future. Why? Because the current situation does not motivate the faculty of the University of Mostar or the best students to stay at the university, do science, research and train the best professors, who will continue to pass on the spark and the flame of knowledge to the next generation.
The university is currently facing a severe shortage of teaching assistants for many courses, and the biological clock cannot be stopped. When the current professors retire, who will stay? Of course, the University of Mostar is not an employer that attracts the best and the best students, nor does it have any strategy or action plan to retain the best students who will grow into the best professors and provide education for future generations. Someone wrote that an incompetent doctor can only bring a few unfortunate treatment results, while an incompetent teacher may leave incalculable negative lasting consequences for the entire society.
We should also mention the excellent professors and all the staff currently working at the University of Mostar. Do they deserve the respect, social status or economic position that their colleagues in Bosnia and Herzegovina and elsewhere in the world enjoy?
According to public data, the salaries of professors at public universities in Sarajevo, Zenica and Tuzla are even three times higher than those of professors at the University of Mostar. The work of university professors is extremely demanding, starting with constant work, which is a condition for scientific and teaching progress, research work, a lot of project and conference work, personal training, all the way to teaching are challenges they face. When they compare their salaries with colleagues in their environment, they naturally feel dissatisfied.
Who is to blame – do they blame their employer, the University of Mostar – and does the University of Mostar blame its founders, who could have helped but were unwilling to?
There is also a common belief among the public that the university is mainly funded by the Government of the Republic of Croatia, but 99% of these funds go towards travel expenses and fees for professors from the Republic of Croatia and co-financing of postgraduate studies of university assistants who study in the Republic of Croatia. In this way, most of the funds go back to the Republic of Croatia. Professors from the Republic of Croatia are also integrated into the foundation of this university, they contribute greatly to the quality of study programs, and the work they do contributes immeasurably to the quality of teaching at the university.
It is time for everyone to deal with the University of Mostar, starting with politics, founders, students, professors, parents, employers and businessmen, the public – because it concerns all of us! Instead of criticizing, let’s look at the big picture, what is the reason? If we want the University of Mostar to function properly, with the best teachers and satisfied students, without paying tuition fees, the founders must take on the obligation to fully finance the University of Mostar, because it is the law and obligation – there is no other choice!
Daily News
[ad_2]
Source link
