Today, a follow-up meeting was held at the Rectorate of the University of Montenegro, following the previously held HERE seminar entitled “Quality Assurance Mechanisms in Higher Education in Europe: focus on quality or procedures?” which was organized on October 21-22, 2024, at the University of Montenegro. The seminar was organized at the initiative of the Montenegrin Higher Education Reform Experts team, in cooperation with the SPHERE network (comprising OBREAL global (coordinator) and the European University Association – EUA) and the National Erasmus+ Office in Montenegro. The guest lecturers at this seminar were prof. Oliver Vettori from WU Vienna / ENGAGE.EU University Alliance and Horia Onita, president of the European Students’ Union.
The goal of this follow-up activity was to familiarize the academic community with the conclusions of the seminar and prepare specific recommendations for further work, to ensure that the outcomes and results of the aforementioned HERE seminar are sustainable. The meeting was attended by relevant representatives of the academic community, representatives of the Agency for Quality Assurance in higher education, student representatives, as well as members of the HERE team.
After the opening address by Vanja Drljević, coordinator of the National Erasmus+ Office in Montenegro, who explained to the attendees the importance of organizing such activities aimed at ensuring the sustainability of the results and outcomes of the HERE seminar, prof. Mira Vukčević from the University of Montenegro, president of the HERE team, addressed the participants. Prof. Mira spoke about the importance of this topic, the challenges imposed by overregulation, and the significance of transitioning from procedures to quality assurance in essence. Regarding this topic from the students’ perspective, Danilo Bulatović, a member of the HERE team from the University of Donja Gorica, and Zerina Kardović, a student trustee of the Student Parliament of the University of Montenegro, concluded that students should be actively involved in the process of quality assurance. The meeting also included representatives from the Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education – Ana Rutović, and Dajana Pavićević, who discussed the quality assurance process from the Agency’s perspective.
It was concluded that the broader academic community needs to engage with this topic, which we must continuously adapt to with full commitment, considering the constant progress and innovations in the higher education system, all of which must be accompanied by ethical principles and quality assurance of the educational process.
