Organized by the National Erasmus+ Office, the Montenegrin team of experts for higher education reform (HERE), and the SPHERE network, a seminar titled “Quality Assurance Mechanisms in Higher Education in Europe: Focus on Quality or Procedures?” was held from October 21 to 22, 2024, in the ceremonial hall of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the University of Montenegro. The seminar featured representatives from the Agency, Tamara Đuričković, PhD, Assistant Director in the Sector for Quality Control in Higher Education, and Ana Rutović, Independent Advisor for Accreditation and Reaccreditation.
The seminar gathered representatives from relevant authorities in the field, as well as institutions of higher education in Montenegro and members of the HERE team. Guest speakers included Prof. Oliver Vetori from the University of Vienna and Horia Onita, President of the European Students’ Union.
On behalf of the Ministry of Education, Science, and Innovation, Dragana Ćetković, the Director of the Directorate for Higher Education, addressed the attendees. She emphasized the importance of the Agency in ensuring the quality of higher education, highlighting the quality of work achieved thus far.
Tamara Đuričković, PhD, presented to the audience the role of the Agency as well as the challenges in ensuring quality and the legal framework of functioning. She noted that the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) in 2021, through a pilot evaluation, gave clear instructions on compliance with European standards and guidelines, which represents the main challenge and the direction of the Agency’s actions in terms of quality assurance.
Đuričković also emphasized that finding a balance between the activities of all stakeholders, while respecting unique procedures, is one of the key goals in ensuring quality. This approach enables more effective collaboration and contributes to achieving high standards in the Agency’s work.
Through a panel discussion on the second day of the seminar, Ana Rutović spoke about the impact of internationalization on quality assurance and emphasized that the Agency is an important partner for higher education institutions in the process of internationalization, particularly regarding the accreditation of study programs in English and the accreditation of joint study programs.
Rutović emphasized that the Agency is continuously working on establishing an internationally comparable and credible higher education system, which will facilitate student mobility.
During the seminar, participants had the opportunity to learn more about quality assurance mechanisms, trends in higher education, digital transformation, and the role of students in this field.
Participants of the seminar agreed that quality assurance is a complex topic and that the exchange of experiences and communication among all stakeholders is the best way to overcome challenges.