Center for Information and Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education (CIP) organized a multi-day event for competent educational authorities and recognition bodies of foreign higher education qualifications within the ILIRIC project, financed by the Council of Europe, on the topic of an Implementation of the Lisbon Recognition Convention in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 30 May to 02 June 2023 in Neum.
Through trainings, workshops, and presentations of good practices of the European Area of Recognition, CIP has pointed out the need of strengthening human capacities that directly deal with the recognition of foreign higher education qualifications, and the importance of full implementation of the Lisbon Recognition Convention.
The Director of CIP, Mr. Damir Ljubić, addressed the participants of the meeting, expressing his gratitude for their attendance, in the hope that in the upcoming days, some future solutions will be found in this area, because it is important for Bosnia and Herzegovina, for ourselves and for our children’s future, and that discussions will lead to the most optimal solution regarding the harmonization of regulations that will regulate the recognition of foreign higher education qualifications. Director Ljubić offered representatives of educational authorities and recognition bodies of foreign higher education qualifications the CIP’s assistance concerning staff trainings, as well as the adoption and implementation of such a regulation.
The attendees had the opportunity to be informed with the Model Law on the Recognition of Foreign Educational Documents, prepared by CIP, which is fully aligned with the provisions of the Lisbon Recognition Convention. Barriers to the full implementation of the Lisbon Recognition Convention were also presented to the audience, as well as examples of good practice in the recognition of foreign higher education qualifications in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Also, there was discussion about how we are ready to recognize non-traditional qualifications and specific types of learning, as well as ways to recognize micro-credentials in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Except of CIP representatives, topics were presented by Luciana Boban from the University of Mostar, Jelena Marčić from the Agency for Higher Education of the Republic of Srpska, Berina Smajlović - Doljančić from the University of Sarajevo, Adnan Beganović from the International University in Sarajevo and Marko - Antonio Brkić from the University of Herzegovina .
As a result of the lectures, workshops and discussions, the representatives of the competent educational authorities and recognition bodies of foreign higher education qualifications concluded that it is necessary to harmonize the regulations in the field of recognition of foreign higher education qualifications in BiH, in such a way that they should be fully harmonized with the provisions of the Lisbon Recognition Convention and its subsidiary documents. There is an urgent need to change the law in the cantons that still work according to the laws on nostrification and equivalence, namely the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, Herzeg-Bosnian Canton and Central Bosnia Canton.
The participants agreed that the Model Law on the Recognition of Foreign Educational Documents should be used for drafting legislation in this area, and that the presented criteria for the analysis of the legislation, developed during the ILIRIC project, are a good basis for harmonization. It is necessary to work on the empowerment of staff directly involved in recognition procedures, in order to continuously monitor and adopt trends in the European Area of Recognition.
