Anti-corruption measures at Serbian Universities

Persistence in delaying

In this moment insuperable seems the fact that representatives of Ministry of Education are included in making all of those rulebooks although being a part of so-called technical government. Also the question is what will happen if and when new government is formed


By JASNA JANKOVIĆ
from Belgrade, SERBIA


After discovering corruption affair in Kragujevac imaginatively called "Indeks" (student's booklet) and arresting the highest number of suspected professors (17) in Serbia and region, besides expressing amazement, disapproval, we were on the way to measures of anti-corruption. Although, it may sounds as a logic development, problem is that even this "way" to them seems too long, while implementation of mentioned measures is not even a dot on a horizon.

We could list them by chronology or significance - from announcement that Conference of Serbian Universities is working on platform about corruption, to the annunciation of making ethic and discipline rulebook for professors and "treating" April term for applying possibly adopted Rulebook for taking exams - we will see similarity. All of them were announced by Ministry of Education, Rector of Belgrade University, student organizations, before more then a month and none of them were fulfilled. We shouldn't forget the media-fully-covered telephone line opened for reporting corruption cases that showed to be useful only for unusable anonymous reports, which were 95% of all calls.

In this moment insuperable seems the fact that representatives of Ministry of Education are included in making all of those rulebooks although being a part of so-called technical government. Also the question is what will happen if and when new government is formed. Another part of left side of this equation are student organizations and the dilemma are they relevant representative of all students. Even the cooperation of this organization seems to be a problem, judging by the recent conflict at constitution of Student Parliament (of Belgrade University) regarding political party membership of its President. Only certain thing for now is that behind of equal mark is unlikely to be found, about what we are warned by "Transparency Serbia" and "Anti-Corruption Student Network in SE Europe" - that is true, real system measures and changes.

As a possible solution Programme Director of Transparency Serbia, Nemanja Nenadić and dean of Law Faculty in Belgrade - Mirko Vasiljević - suggested valuing knowledge and not diplomas by the employers. That could make bought exams and diplomas meaningless without knowledge.

Another significant aspect is transparency of finances at Universities and Faculties. How the budget money is spent, in what way they buy equipment and similar question should be controlled, although the audit institution does not exist even on the state level.

If it continuous with "announcements of future plans for possible actions" and true reforms of educational system don't happen, likely is that reach of consequences of Kragujevac-affair will be minimal and local. It stays unclear who should start these reforms - government, students, management of faculties or all of them together. Very possible seems that all the measures will be forgotten until the next affair.