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Western Balkans regional roundtable discussed ethics and integrity in higher education

Ministry of Education representatives, rectors and academic staff from universities of the Western Balkans region (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo*, Montenegro and “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”) were engaged in the roundtable on “Ethics and Integrity in Higher Education”, which was held in Skopje on 27 September 2018. The opening speeches were delivered by Mr. Libor Chlad, Deputy Head of Cooperation in the European Union Office in Kosovo and Ms. Vesna Atanasova, Programme Manager at the Council of Europe, who expressed the commitment of their institutions to support the region in ensuring quality education through strengthening ethics, integrity and transparency in higher education.

During the event, the participants discussed the current situation and their efforts towards strengthening integrity and combating corruption in the higher education system in their respective universities. Moreover, two prominent speakers, from the Council for Higher Education Accreditation’s and from the International Association of Universities spoke about the best practices of the European countries in ensuring ethics and integrity in the higher education.

A report containing the discussions, recommendations and future actions will be prepared. In addition, the participants underlined the enhanced commitment, motivation and empowerment of relevant stakeholders towards the shared objective.

This roundtable was organised within the framework of the joint European Union and Council of Europe action “Strengthen integrity and combat corruption in higher education” under the framework of the Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey Programme.

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with the UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.

Skopje 3 October 2018
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Fifty practitioners to enhance skills in provision of occupational therapy

Following the adoption of the Guidelines for Occupational Therapy (OT), as well as the Training of Trainers (ToT) on OT that took place in January 2024, three 2-day cascade training sessions were organised in the course of February and March 2024.  Fifty professionals, mainly from the Prison Health Department, along with representatives from the Correctional Services, Institute for Forensic Psychiatry, and the Special Institute for Persons with Mental and Physical Disabilities, were trained on this important form of therapy.

To complement the theoretical aspects and provide the trainees with practical knowledge, some of the sessions were conducted in the Dubrava Prison, in a section which houses prisoners with both mental and somatic problems. This on-site training allowed the participants to observe and understand the application of OT principles in a real-life setting, thus enhancing their learning experience by connecting theory and practice.

These cascade training sessions allowed the participants to further improve their skills in applying the OT Guidelines and tools in prisons and other closed institutions, a concept which was thus far not utilised in a structured manner. Furthermore, training healthcare and correctional professionals together helps them further strengthen the inter-institutional cooperation in the treatment and rehabilitation of some of the most vulnerable members of the society.

Each of these sessions were facilitated by two trainers who had participated in the ToT in January and were supervised and mentored by a Council of Europe consultant who has been involved in the process since the very beginning, thus further strengthening institutional capacity to provide training.

The activity was conducted under the auspices of the Council of Europe project “Improvement of the treatment of persons deprived of liberty”.

 

 

*All references to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions, or population, in this text shall be understood in full compliance with United National Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.

Istog/ Istok 26 March 2024
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