2022

The drafting of the new Law on Higher Education, as well as the Strategy of Higher Education, which will further regulate and apply new provisions in order to ensure the quality in higher education, is ongoing. 

In 2021, Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports provided licenses for three higher education institutions, i.e. four study programmes.  The total number of students at public higher education institutions, who enrolled for the first time at studies applying the 3 + 2 model in the 2021/2022 academic year, is 3154 undergraduate students, while the number of students enrolled in the first year of master's studies at public institutions of higher education in the study year 2021/2022 is 912 students. At private institutions of higher education in the study year 2021/2022, a total of 1575 undergraduate students were enrolled, i.e. 287 students of master studies.

2021

The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports has formed the Working Group for drafting the Proposal of the Strategy of Higher Education in Montenegro for the period 2021-2025, with the Action Plan 2021-2022. The proposal of the Strategy will define strategic goals for further development of higher education, key activities and success indicators, the manner of monitoring the implementation of the strategic document, the manner of reporting and evaluation and other issues of importance for the realization of strategic goals in the field of higher education.

The Working group fordrafting the Law on Higher Education is continuously working on the document, after which a public debate will be organized.

According to the adopted academic calendar, the academic year 2021/2022 will start on 27th September 2021.

The Government of Montenegro, at the session on 11 March 2021, adopted a Decision on nomination of members of the Ethics Committee.  Pursuant to the Article 14 of the Law on Academic Integrity ("Official Gazette of Montenegro", no. 17/19), the Ethics Committee, at its session on 23 April 2021, adopted the Ethics Charter. The aim of adopting the Charter is to preserve, promote, protect and promote academic integrity and prevent all forms of violations of academic integrity. The Charter is binding on all members of the academic community made up of academic staff designated by special law and students. The Charter was drafted with the support and assistance of the Council of Europe.  

2020

As of September 2020, students of the second cycle of studies, i.e. master studies on public institutions will be free of tuition fees.

The Parliament of Montenegro adopted the Law on Amendments to the Law on Higher Educationon 29 June 2017. The adoption of the new Law ensures the following:

• introduction of a new study model, 3+2+3, in place of the former one 3+1+1+3, as a dominant model in European Higher Education Area;
• free bachelor and master studies at public higher education institutions, i.e. University of Montenegro and Faculty of Montenegrin Language and Litterature, starting from academic year 2017/2018 for bachelor studies;
• free second cycle studies, i.e. master studies according to the reformed model of studies starting from 2020/2021.

For the first time, the enrollment on free master's studies will be organized, and the Guidelines for enrollment are published on the website of the University of Montenegro.

Regarding higher education, in accordance with the COVID situation, the management of the University of Montenegro and other private faculties have created a plan for organizing classes and suggested to professors and associates to use online services: Portal of the University of Montenegro (ucg.ac.me), Moodle platform and the video conferencing system Zoom (zoom.us). Following European and world trends since 2005, the University of Montenegro has included various forms of distance learning in its teaching. Lectures were previously set on the Moodle platform, some faculties used it to a greater extent, and some to a lesser extent, depending on the need. Currently, the number of lectures is increasing every day. Regarding the organization of final exams at the University of Montenegro, the Senate decided that the final exams at the organizational units of the University of Montenegro be organized on the University premises after the termination of temporary measures to prevent the introduction, control and prevention of transmission of new coronavirus. The June exam period, in accordance with the Academic Calendar for 2019/20 was organized as planned. Previously, the Senate of the University of Montenegro made a decision to organize preliminary exams during the Provisional Measures, in accordance with the possibilities, in a way that objectively and qualitatively expresses the assessment of students' knowledge. The beginning of the academic year 2020/2021 has been postponed. Classes will begin on September 28 at the University of Montenegro and on October 1 for private HE institutions. The Institute of Public Health and the representatives of the education system have defined clear recommendations on the basis of which the manner of organizing lectures at higher education institutions will be explained in detail. Institutions will, in accordance with the autonomy and depending on the specifics of the program and the number of students, organize online and classical methods of teaching, in order to comply with the recommendations of the Institute of Public Health and ensure the safety of students.

2019

The Parliament of Montenegro adopted the Law on Academic Integrity.

The Law defines the principles of academic integrity of teachers, associates, students, as well as other individuals with higher education, forms of violation and the procedure of protection of academic integrity with the aim of improving the quality of higher education. The Law also envisages the establishment of the Ethics Committee, which will carry out the tasks of preserving, improving, strengthening, protecting and promoting academic integrity, including plagiarism prevention.

Respecting the fundamental principles established by this law, i.e. the principles of integrity, morality, objectivity, openness, autonomy in instruction and research, and the principle of responsibility towards the academic community and society, should contribute to protection from plagiarism and other forms of violation of academic integrity, and thereby to raising awareness on this matter, in addition to to the promotion of academic and democratic values in higher education.

Montenegro is the first country in the region and beyond that governs the matters of academic integrity by a special law.

In September, in accordance with the Law on Academic Integrity, the Government of Montenegro appointed the Ethics Committee, of seven members, for the first time. In accordance with this Law, the University of Montenegro has appointed an Ethics Committee to replace the Court of Honor.

In May, the first Financing Agreement between the Government of Montenegro and the University of Montenegro was signed for a period of three years. The abovementioned con-tract should provide improvement of work and quality at the University, better monitoring of strategic and legal reforms, as well as clear insight into the achievement of results, in accor-dance with the allocated funds.

The Financing Agreement has four annexes, the first of which relates to the quality of the in-stitution's work and enrolment policy, the second to the quality assurance, the third to the public about the institution's work and the fourth to the improvement of the quality of exist-ing study programs, to determine the need for continuation of study programs, or to abolish certain unsustainable study programs.

The Ministry has prepared a Draft Law on Amendments to the Law on the Recognition of Foreign Educational Rights and the Equalization of Qualifications, whose adoption is planned by the end of the year. A public debate is underway.

The Strategy for Development of Higher Education in Montenegro (2020-2025) is under development.

In December 2019, the Collective Agreement on amendments to the Collective Agreement for the University of Montenegro was signed between the University of Montenegro, the Trade Union of the University of Montenegro and the Government of Montenegro, which increased the coefficients of employees at the University for 9% in 2020, as well as for an additional 3% in 2021.

For the eighth consecutive year, the Higher Education Professional Training Program has been successfully implemented, in accordance with a special law. The aim of this program is to facilitate the transition from the world of education to the world of work, to improve the employability of higher education students, and to improve their practical knowledge, skills and competences.

For the 2019/2020, Employers expressed a great interest, which resulted in the advertisement of 11,613 vacancies for professional training, while the total number of persons with higher education who applied to participate in the Program was 3,242, out of which 3.009 had the opportunity to attend the training.

According to the analysis conducted in the previous period, about 50% of the beneficiaries continue their working engagement with the same or another employer, out of which about 60% is in the private sector and the other about 40% is in the public sector.