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HEA Director Pledges Full Support to the Work of the International University of Sarajevo

The Director of the Agency for Higher Education and Quality Assurance of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dr. Enes Hašić, paid a visit to the International University of Sarajevo on Friday, March 11, 2022. He was hosted by the IUS Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Yıldırım, Deputy Secretary General Jahja Imamović and representatives of the IUS Quality Assurance Office.

During a very comprehensive meeting, Mr. Hašić presented the situation in the field of higher education in Bosnia and Herzegovina underlining the very complex organizational structure of the educational authorities in BiH which significantly influence the work and efficacy of the Agency for Higher Education and Quality Assurance. He indicated that BiH has a surplus of higher education institutions in view of the size of its population and underlined that there is a steady decline in the overall number of university students in the country. Unfortunately, this trend is expected to continue in the years to come considering the complexity and direness of the political and economic situation in BiH. Commenting on how this trend will affect the quality of education in higher education institutions, Mr. Hašić believes that this will prompt the universities to enhance their quality in educational standards as the competition for students will increase. Mr. Hašić also added that higher education institutions that invest in quality education will always emerge as the top choice for students acknowledging that this does imply additional costs and resources.

Commenting on the different array of standards implemented by the numerous ministries of education in BiH, the Director stressed that the Agency is striving to be the umbrella institution in coordinating and harmonizing standards when it comes to evaluation and accreditation of higher education institutions. Moreover, when it comes to the accreditation of study programs, Mr. Hašić stressed that the Agency’s focus is on developing simpler and less costly models of accreditation and that currently there are several models on the table.

Finally, the Director expressed his full support to the work of the International University of Sarajevo and pledged his assistance in its efforts to continue providing quality education to its local and international students.

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