Belgrade, Tutin, Novi Pazar, Blace, Brčko, Sokolac... According to "Vijesti" readers, these are all destinations from which diplomas of questionable and dubious quality arrive in Montenegro.
After the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation temporarily suspended the recognition of educational documents obtained at several institutions of higher education in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in mid-November, the editorial office published a questionnaire regarding the perception of the problem of dubious diplomas in Montenegro.
739 readers of "Vijesti" answered the questionnaire, and 685 believe that this is a serious state problem, while 653 rated the quality of diplomas from private faculties in the region as low or very low.
"It is in the interest of society to stand in the way of those who without knowledge acquire titles and promotions. Without adequate qualifications and without adequate education, there are no reforms and no advancement of society in general", said the Ministry, which he manages Anđela Jakšić-Stojanović.
Why is the "easier" way chosen?
As the most common motives for enrolling in studies at institutions of questionable quality, male and female readers cite the need to obtain an educational certificate in the shortest possible time due to advancement at the workplace or a higher salary, simpler conditions for completing college, lower education costs...
Readers mark healthcare and education as areas where people with diplomas of dubious origin and quality should not be allowed to work.
"In order to have formal coverage for the workplace to which she was assigned or employed without any competencies. It's not any kind of schooling, but you go several times and take money and get a paper at the end that, due to the lack of knowledge and competence, there is at least formal coverage for the job that is covered... Yes, numerous accidentals in the immediate vicinity. Inability to finish college, pressure for employment, i.e. promises by people in high positions that they will be employed if they have a degree. Especially employment in state institutions, which is absolutely reprehensible... We all have colleagues who bought diplomas, for the sake of position, higher salary, satisfaction of complexes, easier undeserved promotion and bullying and humiliating people who are experts..., are just a few from the responses of "Vijesti" readers.
The Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation reminds that they have to prove that a degree was purchased, that is, that it was obtained in an easy or dubious way. They believe that stricter punishments for the criminal offense of document forgery should also be considered.
"The Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation will continue, with strict application of the law, to protect the Montenegrin labor market. As before, in all cases where forgery is suspected, or it is determined that it is a fake ('bought') diploma, the Ministry will file a criminal complaint with the competent authorities or issue a decision on rejection. We are doing everything to strengthen the control mechanisms, and we should certainly think about stricter punishments for the criminal offense of document forgery, which would have a great preventive effect on potential perpetrators of these crimes", the Ministry points out.
Impact on the labor market
The complexity of the issue of the number of diplomas from the region, as well as their impact on the labor market, is illustrated by the Ministry of Education with an example:
"According to the data of the Administration for Statistics of Montenegro (Monstat), the number of students graduating from higher education institutions in Montenegro in 2022 was 2.430 graduates of basic studies, 838 specialists, 429 masters and 27 doctors of science. That is a total of 3.724 graduate students. If this data is compared with the data available to the Ministry, which is that a total of 2022 diplomas from the region were recognized in 1.544, we come to the conclusion that the percentage of recognized foreign diplomas from the region is 41,46 percent in relation to the number of diplomas issued in Montenegro. during 2022. According to these data, the number of foreign diplomas in Montenegro is relatively high and in this way it can affect the labor market", the Ministry points out.
They specify that out of the total number of requests for the recognition of foreign educational documents of the higher education level in 2019 - 3.059, 1.387 were from institutions from Serbia.
"Which represents 45 percent of the total number of requests, while 348 requests (11 percent) are from Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2020, the number of submitted requests for recognition of foreign educational documents on acquired higher and higher education for employment in Montenegro was 3.505, of which 1.216 were requests for recognition of educational documents obtained in Serbia (35%), while 278 requests (8 %) from Bosnia and Herzegovina", specify from the Ministry.
During 2021, 3.046 requests for recognition of educational documents from the field of higher education were submitted to that department.
"In 2022, we are seeing a sharp increase in the number of requests for recognition of foreign educational documents at the higher education level, by as much as 50 percent compared to 2021, but this increase refers to educational documents obtained in the Republic of Turkey, the Russian Federation and Ukraine. The total number of applications submitted in 2022 is 6.346, of which 1.248 educational documents were obtained in the Republic of Serbia, while 186 were obtained in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2023, the trend of increasing the number of requests for recognition of educational documents obtained in the Russian Federation, the Republic of Turkey and Ukraine continues, so we record a total number of 5.151 requests for recognition of documents of higher education level. Of this number, we have 1.646 requests from the region (Republic of Serbia 1.238, Bosnia and Herzegovina 323, Republic of North Macedonia 47, Slovenia 23 and Croatia 15 requests)", the Ministry points out.
From that department, they remind that they have formed an Interdepartmental Working Group, whose task is to propose the best model for checking foreign educational documents issued at educational institutions in the region.
"The working group has so far collected certain data on the basis of which a detailed analysis will be done. The data was collected primarily in the public sector, and concerns the number of employees with higher education qualifications, at which institutions they were obtained (private or public), whether the educational documents were obtained in Montenegro, a region or abroad where it is not our speaking area... After the analysis made on the basis of the requested and submitted data, we will come up with concrete modalities that we will propose to the Ministry and the Government for actions in the future. The working group also focused on international cooperation - communication with institutions located in the countries of the region, in order to better and more objectively obtain the necessary information that can serve us for further work", the Ministry claims.
38 criminal charges were filed by the Ministry on suspicion of falsification of educational documents of all levels of education during 2024. In 2023, a total of 28 criminal charges (secondary and higher education levels) were filed on suspicion of falsification of educational documents and one criminal charge on suspicion of falsification of a decision on recognition by the Ministry of Education
Amendments to the Law up to precise criteria
The interdepartmental working group also initiated changes to the Law on recognition of foreign educational documents and equalization of qualifications, and that proposal is in the parliamentary procedure.
"The proposed amendments to the law more precisely define the criteria that are of particular importance for the recognition of foreign educational documents. In this sense, it is precisely defined that in the process of recognition of documents, it is mandatory, and not optional as before, that all prescribed criteria for recognition are evaluated... As for diplomas obtained at institutions that are not characterized by a long tradition or existence, as is the case with some institutions from the environment, the Ministry verifies these qualifications diplomatically through competent inspections of the country of origin of the educational document, especially when it comes to qualifications in the field of medicine or teacher education", they stated.
The Ministry will continue, with strict application of the law, to protect the Montenegrin labor market. As before, in all cases where forgery is suspected, or it is determined that it is a fake ('bought') diploma, the Ministry will file a criminal complaint... or issue a decision on refusal
They remind that qualifications in the field of healthcare - doctors of medicine - belong to the field of regulated professions.
"Therefore, no one can work in the health system of Montenegro if, in addition to the diploma in the field of medicine being recognized here at the Ministry, it must also be equivalent. With the proposal of the Law on Amendments to the Law on the Recognition of Foreign Educational Documents, we have provided for the possibility that, if in the qualification equalization procedure it is established that the educational or study program is essentially different from the accredited educational or study program in Montenegro, the obligation to submit the application to take supplementary or differential exams", the Ministry explains.
"We are of the opinion that with this legal solution, when the School of Medicine or the Faculty of Medicine in Montenegro, which is responsible for the equalization of the qualification, determines that there is a significant deviation of the educational or study program from the same or similar one in Montenegro, the obligation of the holder of the document to take supplementary or differential exam, reduce interest in acquiring qualifications abroad at institutions that are not distinguished by a long tradition", they concluded.
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