Divjak: University processes must be transparent, young people are formed there

Minister of Science and Education Blaženka Divjak assessed in an interview for Media Service on Wednesday that the university must be open, processes at the university must be transparent, and the rector’s program should enable the development of the University.

The Senate of the University of Zagreb will elect a new rector on Friday, February 23, and one of the questions posed to Minister Divjak in the Media Service interview titled ‘In Private’ was how she evaluates the work of the current rector and candidate for a new rector’s term, Damir Boras.

Divjak: The university must be open, processes must be transparent, and the rector’s program should enable the development of the University

A journalistic note mentioned that the current rector Damir Boras defeated her four years ago when she ran for rector, and there was also a journalistic question – how she evaluates the previous work of rector Boras.

With the caveat that it is “not appropriate for her to interfere in the electoral process and upcoming elections,” Divjak replied that “she emphasizes all the time that the university must be open, that processes must be transparent, and that the members of the Senate who elect the rector must carefully consider whose program enables the development of the University.”

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Because, Divjak asserted, the development of the University is not important only to those who elect the rector – for about 70 members of the Senate, but also for 75 thousand students, several thousand employees, and for all of Croatia. In this regard, she added, let us not forget that half of the students in Croatia study precisely at the University of Zagreb, and it is not just a place where one studies but also a place where young people are formed and given the fundamental competencies that enable, or do not enable, them to be active citizens and develop society and the economy.

The public’s interest in the election of the rector and the functioning of the University is significant, and this must be respected, said Divjak, emphasizing that she advocates for transparent processes and the improvement of quality and openness of the University to the public.

Divjak: Given the political position, I cannot join the protest, but I can appeal for openness

In response to a journalist’s question about whether she would join the protest in front of the university’s Rectorate organized by the University Platform, which was organized because it is increasingly likely that the electoral session of the Senate on Friday will also be closed to the public, Minister Divjak replied that, given her political position, she cannot join the protest as it would be interfering with the autonomy of the university.

However, she asserted, “I can appeal for the openness of the process and that the candidates for rector answer questions” because, Divjak reiterated, it is not only the members of the Senate who are interested in their programs and answers but also more than 80 thousand students and employees at the University and the Croatian public, which has a real interest, not only because the University is largely funded by public money but also because a much greater impact of the University on the development of society and the economy is expected.

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“I cannot really comment on everyone,” was the minister’s brief response to a journalist’s question about how she comments on the statement of pro-rector Miljenko Šimpraga “that it is 13 times easier to become a minister than a rector” after her appeal for the Senate session to be open last Friday when candidates for rector presented their programs.

Changes at the University are certainly needed

The minister is convinced that changes at the University are certainly needed because, she assessed, it has enormous potential in research, the potential for research to ‘spill over’ into applied research, to encourage much better cooperation with industry, and to work much more on companies that arise as a result of innovative research processes. It is also expected that the university participates much more in aligning study programs with market needs, and here, Divjak explained, the Croatian Qualifications Framework (HKO) is an important instrument to achieve that alignment.

She noted that one of the major topics is related to financing from European funds and networks of European universities, and in the next few years, about 20 networks of European universities should be formed on various topics and sectors, and we expect our universities to get involved because billions of euros will be available on such topics, the minister emphasized. She stated that we must take advantage of this, reminding that she spoke about it at the Rector’s Council and reiterated that she appeals to all Croatian universities, especially Zagreb, to get involved in this process.

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One of the questions posed to the minister was why the University of Zagreb is against equalizing the diplomas of professional and university studies, and her response was “that she does not think we could say that the University is against it because rector Boras filed a lawsuit with the Constitutional Court.”

She believes it is important to know what the HKO is to understand well what it is about, as the HKO gives us the opportunity to connect the educational system at all levels with market needs. When it comes to professional and university studies, she assessed that this “topic is inflated, university and professional studies differ in type, professional studies need to place much greater emphasis on skill development, while university studies focus on knowledge and academic competencies.”

She explained that what is expected from both professional and university studies is the raising of quality, which we can view in two segments – one is responding to market needs, which includes future markets, and on the other hand, there is the law on quality assurance that prescribes what quality studies should have, as well as the Law on Science and Higher Education.

A great responsibility of the rector and the Senate that Croatian Studies do not have legal status

How to resolve the legal status of Croatian Studies was also one of the questions for the minister, who in her response reminded that “the problem arose because legal regulations were not respected, advice was not listened to, and different perspectives on the development of Croatian Studies were not taken into account.”

“There is a great responsibility of the rector and the Senate of the University of Zagreb that Croatian Studies do not have legal status,” asserted Divjak.

When asked to explain which advice the rector and Senate did not heed, the minister replied that this primarily refers to the fact that they did not read the reaccreditation recommendation, which clearly stated that the studies in Croatian Studies are of quality, but that the legal status needs to be resolved, which does not mean that any study area should be omitted or done in a way that jeopardizes the survival of Croatian Studies, and that is what has happened.

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Given the autonomy of the University, the exclusive responsibility for everything that has been done lies with the rector and the Senate, and the Ministry of Science and Education will, the minister announced, get involved as it is prescribed by law, but only after the Accreditation Council of the Agency for Science and Higher Education (AZVO) provides its analysis and recommendation regarding the state of Croatian Studies.

When asked whether the temporary administration of Croatian Studies should be dismissed as demanded by the unions, the minister replied that in the case of serious problems such as those at Croatian Studies, it should be seen how the administration acted for such problems to arise.

She reminded that the University disputes the administrative oversight requested by the Ministry, as well as oversight of the spending of financial resources, and added that the freedom of research and teaching, academic freedom is what is constitutionally guaranteed as a category of university autonomy, but it must be transparent in the way it spends financial resources.