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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Budget for higher education to be created by rectors of state universities

Belgrade, 9 January 2007

Serbian Minister of Education and Sport Slobodan Vuksanovic said today that rectors of all state universities in Serbia will be able to create the budget and decide how much the state will set aside for higher education every year.

Slobodan Vuksanovic, left, and Branko Kovacevic

Author: Fonet

Vuksanovic said after a meeting with rectors of state universities in Serbia that the text of an agreement on financing institutions of higher education in Serbia will be prepared during the next month. The agreement should be signed by the Serbian Prime Minister and rectors of all state universities.

He explained that this agreement will enable more funds to be set aside for universities and thus students will pay lower tuition fees.

Rector of the Belgrade University Branko Kovacevic said that such a way of financing has been envisaged by the Law on higher education which, among other things, stipulates that the university is a legal entity and that the funds for faculties should be distributed through it.

Kovacevic pointed to the fact that financing universities should be in accordance with standards, norms and procedures which are valid in all EU countries, and added that every university should make a realistic estimate of expenditures and make a finance plan which would be examined at the level of the association of Serbian universities.

He said that the state can not give financial support to less able students any more, considering the fact that no university in the world offers the possibility that a student fails two years and still receives state help.

Serbian Assistant Minister of Education and Sport Slavko Karavidic recalled that last year the state allocated RSD 11.6 billion for education, which means that every student cost the state an amount between RSD 110,000 to 320,000, depending on which faculty they were studying at.