The delegation of NEAQA visited the Agency for Higher Education of the Republic of Srpska (AHERS) on October 4, 2022, in Banja Luka. Director of AHERS prof. Biljana Vojvodić, PhD spoke with the Director of NEAQA, prof. Ana Šijački on the accreditation of higher education institutions (HEIs) and study programs (SPs), membership in international associations and networks, as well as other key activities of the two agencies.
Prof. Biljana Vojvodić introduced NEAQA representatives to the accreditation procedures of HEIs and SPs in the HE system of the Republic of Srpska, particularly referring to the importance of the Law on Quality Assurance in Higher Education of the Republic of Srpska, which entered into force in July 2020. Prof. Ana Šijački, speaking about the key activities of NEAQA, pointed out that NEAQA is preparing for the upcoming progress visit of the panel of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA), and that, accordingly, numerous procedures and activities of NEAQA have been improved.
During the meeting, it was highlighted that cooperation between AHERS and NEAQA should be more intensive, based on the existing Cooperation Agreement. It was observed that NEAQA and AHERS share a common vision and mission, which specifically refers to the following goals: contribution to the maintenance and improvement of the quality of HE in the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Srpska, compliance with internationally recognized quality standards, creation of a team of trained reviewers for accreditation processes and external quality assurance and assuming the role for the development of QA measures in HE in countries of the Western Balkans by stimulating cooperation between agencies in the region.
