Centre for Civic Education (CCE) addressed rector Radmila Vojvodić with a letter before the session of Managing Board of University of Montenegro, asking her to urge the members of Managing Board to disapprove the appointment of Velimir Rakočević for the dean of Law Faculty on tomorrow’s session, by using her institutional capacities and personal authority.
CCE has been dealing with the legality of work of UoM for years, as well as with overall quality provided by the state university. Given that this is an institution which is being financed from tax payer’s money to perform a duty of public importance, CCE notified the rector about the information that Velimir Rakočević plagiarised his textbook, as well as that there are grounds for suspicion regarding the authenticity of his PhD thesis.
Letter attachment sent to rector Vojvodić contained the text by full professor at the Law Faculty of the University of Belgrade Đorđe Ignjatović titled «Illegal reaching out for other people’s property in science – case study», published in magazine «Anali» (http://anali.ius.bg.ac.rs/A2009-2/Anali%202009-2%20str.%20289-309.pdf). CCE pointed out to rector that the previous management of UoM was duly informed on this matter, as well as on other similar issues, but that it did not address them properly. In addition to request to cancel further procedure of Rakočević’s appointment, CCE requested rector to take all necessary measures and actions in order to analyse this case adequately by independent experts with impeccable academic integrity and process it further legally.
According to CCE’s latest research, done within the project «Only knowledge should get you the title», financed by the EU, Commission for Allocation of Part of Revenue from Games of Chance and Heinrich Böll Stiftung, Montenegrin citizens perceive the corruption as most present in education precisely during the procedure of employment or academic appointment, which represents the final stage of corruption in this area. Hence, the CCE hopes that rector will process this initiative with due diligence, as well as that the management of UoM will focus more responsibly on similar issues in future.
CCE believes that Montenegrin public has the right to be fully informed on every aspect of elections or academic appointments at UoM since it is undoubtedly in the public interest. Finally, the attitude of management of UoM, concerning this issue, is paramount in order to clarify the directions towards which the management plans to guide the UoM.
Daliborka Uljarević, executive director