The Minister of Scientific and Technological Development and Higher Education of the Republic of Srpska, Prof Draga Mastilović PhD, emphasised that students and young people are a strategic resource of the Republic of Srpska, and that the Ministry of Scientific and Technological Development and Higher Education will make efforts to raise higher education to the highest possible level.
Following a meeting with representatives of the Student Union of the Republic of Srpska and student organisations, Minister Mastilović announced a series of measures to be undertaken with these organisations in support of improving student standards.
"This includes the adoption of a new law on higher education, which I consider to be of strategic importance for the Republic of Srpska, and we will seek the best solutions to ensure that higher education is at a higher level," said Mastilović.
He recalled that the Ministry of Scientific and Technological Development and Higher Education has allocated 200,000 BAM this year to co-finance programmes and projects of student organisations in the Republic of Srpska.
"I had the opportunity today to familiarise myself with these projects. We are continuing with reform steps that have already yielded results, and I expect that in the coming period we will also contribute in this way to the development of higher education," said Mastilović.
He noted that in the previous period, the Ministry of Scientific and Technological Development and Higher Education made a significant contribution to the implementation of projects aimed at improving student standards.
"Some key measures implemented in the previous period, which have contributed to an increase in the number of enrolled students at universities in the Republic of Srpska, certainly include the introduction of free tuition, accommodation in student halls of residence, as well as subsidies for meals, and particularly the increase in scholarships from the next academic year," said Mastilović.
The President of the Student Union of the Republic of Srpska, Nikola Šobot, said that drafting a new law on higher education is one of the pressing issues, as well as efforts to restore full rights to students, which were removed from the law in 2020 during the coronavirus period.
"An important topic for us is also the status of the 'absolvent' (final-year student), where we are aligning our education system with the Bologna Process, which has both advantages and disadvantages," said Šobot.
He pointed out the importance of the support of the Ministry of Scientific and Technological Development and Higher Education for the implementation of student programmes and projects that significantly contribute to the promotion of students and their achievements at the international level.