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Peer visit to the University of Gothenburg

As part of the Action "Strengthen integrity and combat corruption in higher education in Serbia", 8 representatives of the Serbian higher education sector participated in a peer visit to the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, last 11-13 October.

Delegates from Serbia had an unique opportunity to meet their peers at  the University of Gothenburg and to discuss important matters related to the academic integrity and anti-corruption measures in place. They also gained insight into the university's existing measures, mechanisms and processes, as well as explored means of further cooperation between the Serbian higher education institutions and the University of Gothenburg. The key aspect of the visit was to see what works well and how it can be replicated in the higher education system in Serbia, such as the training on academic ethics for students during their first year at university.

Amongst the many topics and themes covered, the Serbian delegation learned about the Gothenburg Model on Academic Integrity, based on models of examination forms and constructive alignment on the course level to enhance academic integrity. They also witness how the academic integrity is integrated in the training courses for teaching staff.

The participants also found out about the modus operandi of the Disciplinary Board, met with the Unit for Academic Writing and heard students’, teachers’ and doctoral students’ views on academic integrity.

Delegation members were Professor Vesna Mandic, Assistant Minister of Education, Science and Technological Development in charge of Higher Education, Professor Vladimir Bumbasirevic, Rector of the University of Belgrade and President of the Conference of Universities of Serbia, Professor Miladin Kostic, Rector of the Novi Pazar State University, Professor Dragan Antic, Rector of the University of Nis, Professor Cemal Dolicanin, President of the Commission for Accreditation and Quality Assurance and other distinguished professors and high officials including the representative of the Seerbian Anti-Corruption Agency.

Belgrade (Serbia) 24 October 2017
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Strengthen integrity and combat corruption in higher education in Serbia

The Council of Europe assists relevant authorities in Serbia to improve the quality of education through applying preventive mechanisms based on Council of Europe standards and practices. The actions is being implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development while involving a wider group of relevant stakeholders, including public universities, the Anti-Corruption Agency, education policy and research institutes, NGOs and academics.

The action is co-funded by the European Union and Council of Europe as part of the European Union – Council of Europe programmatic framework “Horizontal Facility for Western Balkans and Turkey” and is implemented by the Council of Europe Education Department in cooperation with the Council of Europe Office in Belgrade.

The duration of the action is set at 24 months and it is expected to be completed by 30 March 2019, with an overall budget of 200,000 euros.
 

Objectives and expected results

Strengthen integrity and combat corruption in higher education

The overall objective is to strengthen integrity and combat corruption in the higher education system in Serbia through applying preventive mechanisms based on Council of Europe standards and policies.

The first specific objective is to support relevant higher education institutions in developing ethical standards, combat corruption and promote best practices of quality and integrity in education. This specific objective shall be accomplished through the achievement of the following results:

  • Relevant public authorities adopt mechanisms to prevent corruption and to strengthen ethics, transparency and integrity in higher education;
  • Mechanisms in place take into account standards and good practices promoted by the Council of Europe’s Ethics in Education Platform (ETINED).

The second specific objective is to raise awareness and improve knowledge of the main education actors on ethical standards and how to address corruption. This specific objective shall be accomplished through the achievement of the following result:

  • Educational professionals and students in public higher education institutions have increased competencies to recognise and address issues challenging the integrity in higher education.
     

Background information

On 11 April 2016, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, and the European Union’s Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, announced a new co-operation initiative of the two organisations aimed at supporting South-East Europe and Turkey in their efforts to comply with European standards. The initiative is called the European Union/Council of Europe Horizontal Facility for Western Balkans and Turkey (Horizontal Facility). It is a three-year programme (May 2016 – May 2019), focusing on three themes: ensuring justice, fighting economic crime as well as combating discrimination and protecting the rights of vulnerable groups. It has a budget of €25 million, of which €20 million has been provided by the European Union and €5 million by the Council of Europe.  Through the Horizontal Facility, the European Union and the Council of Europe will assist beneficiaries in South-East Europe and Turkey to comply with Council of Europe standards and the European Union acquis, through a complementary two-fold approach of technical co-operation and the provision of expertise. The Horizontal Facility relies on the Council of Europe’s unique working methods, whereby tailor-made technical co-operation activities are based on conclusions and recommendations of the Council of Europe’s monitoring bodies, which highlight areas where improvements are needed in legislation and policies of the beneficiaries to comply with the Organisation’s standards.