Bringing BiH’s universities closer to EU standards – Tempus Information Days in East Sarajevo

Increasing students’ mobility, enhancing inter-university cooperation, both national and international, adapting the ECTS (European Credit Transfer System), and reforming and improving the higher education overall through the EU fund Tempus were  the major topics of the Tempus Information Day held at the University of East Sarajevo in Lukavica, East Sarajevo. For the sixth consecutive year now, the EU is encouraging universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina to apply for financial assistance by nominating projects that help to bring them closer to European universities’ standards.

Natalia Dianiskova, Head of Operations Section for Social Development, Civil Society and Cross-Border Cooperation in the EU Delegation to BiH, pointed out that the Tempus contributed to the modernization of the higher education system in Bosnia and Herzegovina by promoting the Bologna process and the Lisbon agenda, as well as EU policies and practices in the area of higher education. “The universities should focus on development of appropriate methods, tools and procedures which will enable Bosnia and Herzegovina’s students to go abroad without problems and attract students from other countries to come to study here, in Bosnia and Herzegovina. There is some progress in this regard but it is not enough yet”, said Dianiskova.

Milijana Lale, Head of Department for Statistics and Informatics, Education Sector, at the Ministry of Civil Affars of BiH, stressed the significant role of the Tempus in the higher education reform process, while Prof. Dr. Mitar Novakovic, Rector of the University of East Sarajevo, stated that the University is constantly undergoing reforms in accordance to the Bologna process.

The event was organized by the National Tempus Office in BiH, in close cooperation with the Delegation of the European Union to BiH.  Tempus is the European Union’s Programme that supports modernization in higher education in 27 Partner Countries of Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Western Balkans and the Mediterranean region, mainly through university cooperation projects.

To find out more about Tempus click here: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/tempus/

Europa.ba