At the sitting held on 18 May, the Education Committee members were briefed on the National Education Council’s information on its members’ status changes and considered prolonging the operation of the National Council for Higher Education until the election of its new composition.

The National Education Council informed the Committee that a status change had occurred in 2 of its members. Slobodan Pavlovic, elected for a 6-year term of office from the ranks of vocational high schools, has gained employment at the Textbook Publishing Company, and Jadranka Dimov, elected for a 6-year term of office from the ranks of the National Employment Office, had retired.

Discussing the issue, the Committee members exchanged opinions on the formal legal provisions for the resolution of these two National Education Council members’ status problems. The Committee members agreed that is a conflict of interest in the case of Slobodan Pavlovic and that an initiative for his dismissal should be launched, while in the case of Jadranka Dimov there are no legal impediments to her continuing her term of office.

After the discussion, the Committee members unanimously adopted a Conclusion that in the case of Jadranka Dimov the Education Committee should inform the National Employment Office of her status and request information whether the National Office wants to be represented by Jadranka Dimov to the end of her term of office or it would wish to replace its member at the National Education Council; while in the case of Slobodan Pavlovic it was concluded that the Committee should forward a request for his dismissal to the National Assembly after which a procedure would be initiated for the election of a new National Education Council member from the ranks of vocational high schools.

In the discussion on the second item on the agenda, prolonging the operation of the National Council for Higher Education until the election of its new composition, Chairman Sami informed the Committee members of the memo sent by the Education Ministry which was addressed by the National Council for Higher Education for an opinion regarding the Council’s functioning until the election of a new composition. Considering that the issue lies within the Education Committee’s purview, Chairman Sami proposed that the Committee note that the existing National Council for Higher Education and its working bodies should continue their operation until the election of a new Council convocation.

In the discussion, it was stressed that the candidate list for the election of new members should be submitted by the Government of the Republic of Serbia and association of universities. It was also said that in the last two years the National Council had not submitted any kind of activity plan or report to the Committee even though it is legally obliged to.

After the discussion, the Committee adopted the following conclusions: 1) by a majority of votes the Committee noted that the existing National Council for Higher Education and its working bodies should continue their operation until the election of a new Council convocation; 2) the Committee unanimously requested that the National Council for Higher Education submit activity reports on the past two years; 3) by a majority of votes the Committee decided to send a memo to the association of universities and association of colleges suggesting that they include more candidates in the candidate list for the election of new members of the National Council for Higher Education than the number elected by the National Assembly.

By the end of the sitting the Committee members had consulted on the proposed conclusion of the Committee’s 20^th sitting, on which they would vote at the next sitting, as well as agreed to dedicate a sitting to talking to National Education Council representatives about their work.

The sitting was chaired by Committee Chairman Zoran Sami.