Representatives of "Apeiron" at the SMEQA workshop in Banja Luka: Strengthening capacities for external quality assurance in higher education in BiH

Representatives of "Apeiron" at the SMEQA workshop in Banja Luka: Strengthening capacities for external quality assurance in higher education in BiH

Representatives of Apeiron University participated in a two-day conference held on March 24 and 25, 2025 at the Faculty of Political Sciences of the University of Banja Luka, as part of the Erasmus+ project SMEQA - Strengthening capacities and mechanisms for improving the quality assurance system in higher education in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Elveldina Tatrević, Assistant Director for Legal Affairs, Maja Dujaković, University Secretary, Tanja Škorić, project team member and quality assurance expert, and Dragana Bulut, on behalf of Apeiron University, participated in the aforementioned meeting.

The aim of the SMEQA project is to improve the quality assurance system through the development of modernized accreditation models aligned with ESG standards, strengthening institutional cooperation and preparing the system for full membership of BiH in ENQA and EQAR. The workshop entitled "Support to External Quality Assurance: Strengthening the Capacity of Quality Assurance Systems in Higher Education" brought together representatives of higher education institutions, competent education authorities, CIP BiH, HEA BiH, and partners from Croatia and Slovenia.

The introductory part of the conference was opened by representatives of the University of Zenica, the project coordinators, emphasizing the importance of harmonizing domestic practices with European standards. During the two working days, key topics were addressed, including the role of quality assurance agencies in national education systems, institutional support to higher education institutions, education of experts and evaluators, involvement of students in QA processes, and dialogue with educational authorities and decision-makers.

A special contribution to the implementation of the workshop was made by representatives of international partners, the Agency for Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Croatia (AZVO) and the National Agency for Quality in Higher Education of the Republic of Slovenia (NAKVIS). Through interactive sessions, they shared their countries' experiences in developing external quality assurance, training experts, supporting higher education institutions and involving students in QA processes. After their presentations, representatives of HEA BiH presented quality assurance practices in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Agency for the Development of Higher Education and Quality Assurance of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HEA BiH) plays a key role in connecting stakeholders from different administrative units and guiding reform processes towards European standards. Through its work on this project, HEA BiH confirms its commitment to improving the external quality assurance system through partnership, open dialogue and expert input based on European standards and practices.

On the second day of the workshop, a meeting of project partners was held, where financial and administrative aspects of the project were discussed, reporting was prepared, and an action plan for the next 12 months of implementation was defined.

Apeiron University continues to actively contribute to improving the quality of higher education through participation in such projects and partnership with relevant institutions.