The Expanded Rector’s College of the University of Belgrade adopted a conclusion regarding the fourth demand of the students in the blockade, based on, as stated, the principles on which it is necessary for institutional solutions regarding the financing of higher education to be based.
The Expanded Rector’s College of UB states that “since the functioning of higher education is a matter that directly concerns three groups of actors – the state, students and higher education institutions – it is necessary to ensure the fulfillment of the fourth demand of the student plenum, including the part of the demand that refers to covering the costs of students based on tuition fees, by amending laws and other regulations and an appropriate financial-legal arrangement between the state and students, ensuring that the state covers the cost of paid tuition fees for students in the amount of 50 percent.”
“It is necessary to ensure the full autonomy of universities and faculties whose founder is the Republic of Serbia in terms of determining the amount of tuition fees, its collection in full and the disposal of the full amount of thus acquired revenues as their own funds, in the manner defined by the general acts of universities and faculties, which represents one of the essential prerequisites of university autonomy guaranteed by Article 72 of the Constitution of Serbia, and in accordance with Article 71 of the Law on Higher Education,” the statement of the Expanded Rector’s College of UB states.
It is added that all faculties whose founder is the Republic of Serbia should be provided with coverage of the full amount of fixed costs, as well as the full amount of costs based on the rights of employees in accordance with the law and a special collective agreement for higher education.
“Also, it is necessary to provide coverage of material costs to faculties at least in an amount proportional to the share of budget revenues that faculties receive from the Ministry of Education in the total amount of revenues of each faculty, which consists of budget revenues from the Ministry of Education and own revenues from tuition fees,” the statement emphasizes.
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The established modality of fulfilling the students’ demands, as it is written in the statement, must not lead to a drop in budget or own revenues of any higher education institution whose founder is the Republic of Serbia, compared to the amount that would be realized without fulfilling the students’ demands.
Also, the statement specifically emphasizes that “it is necessary to provide funds in the budget of the Republic of Serbia to equalize the base for calculating the salaries of employees in higher education with the base for calculating the salaries of employees in institutions of other levels of education.”
The Expanded Rector’s College reminded that, in this regard, the Senate of the University of Belgrade adopted the Platform on the legal, academic and material aspects of financing higher education institutions in 2022.
“Without solving the above-mentioned problems, the regular work of the University would be called into question,” the Expanded Rector’s College stated and emphasized that the University of Belgrade, as before, will actively participate in the drafting of regulations in the field of higher education.
In accordance with this, the Draft Amendments to the Law on Higher Education, which the University prepared in December 2024, has been innovated and will be sent to the Ministry of Education.
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Source: Nedeljnik, Photo: Printscreen Twitter