EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION GIVES HIGHEST RATINGS, GREATER VISIBILITY FOR DIPLOMAS FROM SRPSKA

BANJA LUKA, SEPTEMBER 22 /SRNA/ - Republika Srpska Agency for Higher Education has met all 14 standards of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education /ENQA/ and received the highest ratings in a report by independent experts, Agency Director Biljana Vojvodić said.

She stressed that this is a significant achievement not only for the Agency and the higher education system, but also for Republika Srpska, which is thereby positioning itself as an independent actor within the European Higher Education Area. Vojvodić said this was important because it would increase the visibility and recognition of higher education institutions and diplomas within the European Higher Education Area. "Regarding all 14 standards against which the Agency underwent external evaluation, we received the highest ratings, meaning that all standards have been fully met," Vojvodić said at a news conference in Banja Luka. Vojvodić said that the external evaluation was carried out by a panel of independent experts from Ireland, Scotland, Romania and Croatia, who held discussions with 62 of the Agency's partners during a three-day visit in May. "Among them were representatives of the relevant ministries, the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, higher education institutions, students, the business sector, accreditation bodies and other stakeholders," she said. According to her, the panel particularly highlighted the Agency's independence in its work, clearly defined roles and responsibilities, as well as its ability to make and support complex accreditation decisions, including those with significant consequences for higher education institutions. She added that the panel also determined that students actively and substantively participate in the Agency's work. Vojvodić said that the Agency began the process of joining ENQA by submitting an application in August last year, while an application for registration in the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education /EQAR/ was submitted in October. Speaking about the significance of this process for students, she stressed that diplomas obtained from institutions accredited by agencies that are members of ENQA have greater visibility within the European Higher Education Area. "As far as our higher education institutions are concerned, their visibility and recognition within the European Higher Education Area are increasing, which creates new opportunities for networking, international exchanges, mobility and attracting foreign students," Vojvodić said. She stressed that each country independently regulates the procedure for recognizing diplomas and that ENQA membership does not mean automatic recognition of diplomas in every country. "The Agency communicates and cooperates with qualification recognition centers in the region and around the world and provides the information required in recognition procedures. We are confident that this step towards obtaining ENQA membership will definitely help in these procedures as well," Vojvodić said. She said that two medical faculties in Republika Srpska had undergone international accreditation under the new standards of the World Federation for Medical Education, representing an additional step forward in the international recognition of medical degrees. Vojvodić added that a decision on the Agency's registration in EQAR is expected by the end of the year, while the ENQA Board is scheduled to consider the report in February 2027, after which full membership is expected to be granted. She explained that membership is granted for a period of five years, after which agencies undergo the external evaluation procedure again.