Main
building of
University of Sarajevo |
| The
University of Sarajevo descends
from a century long tradition of higher
education in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Sarajevo.
The institutional beginnings of higher education
are identical to the university tradition
of Western Europe. In 1531
Gazi Husrev-beg established the Hanikah,
a higher school of Souphey philosophy to
which an institution for the study of Islamic
Sciences was added in 1537.
Here the three disciplines of Classical
Catholic Universities were nurtured: theology,
law and philosophy and the university also
comprised a library. By the end of the 19th
century, this institution was the largest
institution of learning in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
|
From the beginning it was on the same level as
the Medresa (Islamic institution of higher education)
of Sultan Bajazit in Istanbul, the institution
upon which the old Istanbul University is based.
In
the Austro-Hungarian period or more precisely
in 1887, the Sharia Law School
began to operate as a five-year-long higher school.
The
modern history of the Sarajevo University
began with the establishment of the first secular
institutions of higher education prior to World
War II as well as during the war (the Faculty
of Agriculture and Forestry in 1940,
the Medical Faculty in 1944).
The Medical Faculty was re-established in 1946,
the Faculty of Law, the Teacher Training College
were opened and in 1948 the Faculty
of Agriculture and Forestry was re-established.
In
1949 the Engineering Faculty
was opened. On the 2nd December that same year
with the appointment of the first rector, the
University of Sarajevo was established.
With the opening of the Faculty of Philosophy
(1950) and the Economics Faculty
(1952) the first, initial phase
of establishment of the Sarajevo University
was completed.
The
second phase of development (1955
- 1969) is characterised by the affirmation
of the University, the opening of new institutions
of higher education and the relative satisfaction
of the needs for highly educated personnel in
Bosnia-Herzegovina. Another significant achievement
is the organisation and initiation of postgraduate
studies at the University.
The
third phase (1970 - 1982) is defined
by more institutions of higher education being
opened at the University, a scientific promotion
of the University and its intensified involvement
and promotion on the international academic plane.
The University contributed directly and indirectly
to the establishment of new universities in Banja
Luka, Mostar and Tuzla.
The
fourth phase (1982 - 1992) is characterised
by the separation of scientific activities from
the University and the formation of favouritised
scientific institutes outside the University.
This brought considerable damage to the University
of Sarajevo, because the coherence of university
education and scientific research was jeopardised.
This resulted in a lower quality of education
and a technological stagnation of the University.
The uncontrolled enrolment of an enormous number
of students resulted in a significantly lower
efficiency of studies and a hyper-production of
personnel in certain educational areas.
The
fifth phase (1992 - 1995) is a phase
of barbaric devastation of the facilities and
equipment of the University as well as a decrease
of university personnel and an enormous decrease
in the number of students. All this was caused
by the war and aggression against Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Despite
all the difficulties of life and work during the
three-and-a-half-year-long siege of Sarajevo and
thanks to the enthusiasm, professional attitude,
patriotism and perseverance of university teachers
and associates as well as the students, the
University of Sarajevo managed
to retain its continuity of work and life. This
was a specific aspect of intellectual, academic
resistance towards everything that is barbaric
and against civilisation, the University's contribution
to the affirmation of freedom and democracy, the
defence against aggression and fascism and the
affirmation of the statehood of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
At
the beginning of 1996, the University of Sarajevo
entered the phase of post-war physical and academic
renewal and reconstruction. The physical renewal
is aimed at the reconstruction of devastated and
the rebuilding of destroyed facilities (through
the realisation of the New University Campus Project),
the replacement of destroyed educational and scientific
equipment and the reconstruction of student dormitories.
Significant results have been achieved on this
plane and the conditions for higher quality studies
have been formed.
The
undergoing academic renewal comprises the realisation
of a new concept of organisation and function
of the University in accordance with contemporary
standards, the modernisation of curricula and
the education of the necessary teaching personnel.
The
process of renewal and reconstruction of the University
is supported by the activities of the European
University Association, the European Council,
the European Union as well as a whole line of
international organisations and institutions involved
in the field of higher education.
The
University of Sarajevo has partner relations with
over fourty Universities in Europe, USA, Canada
and the Arab countries.
The main objective of all our current activities
is to raise the quality of studies and to create
a contemporary university of European provenance
which will be a respectable representative of
Bosnia-Herzegovina on an international level and
a promoter of traditional, historical, cultural,
scientific and artistic values of this part of
Europe.
Current
Condition
University
of Sarajevo is a large educational system taking
into account number of employees (1.640 teachers
and assistents and 893 non academic staff) as
well as number of students (total 55 000). According
to current organizational structure it is loose
association with many higher educatuin institutions
with strong legal identity (23 faculties and academies
and other members of the University and associated
members). Since the premise of members and associated
members are dislocated around the city, higher
priority is given to the building of the University
Campus. For those members of the University, appropriate
building and traffic work are required, in order
to group them in four or five polycentric units.