LEPLIR: FACULTY OF MEDICINE - A MODEL OF GOOD PRACTICE

FOČA, OCTOBER 15 /SRNA/ - The Faculty of Medicine in Foča is a good example of how higher education institutions should operate and develop, said Hirt de Leplir, Head of the International Cooperation Office at the University of Leuven in Belgium.

Leplir congratulated the Faculty of Medicine on its achievements in obtaining international accreditation and recognition, which have resulted in more than 700 international students from 38 countries now studying in Foča. “The Faculty of Medicine in Foča is an example of how the methods and everything we have worked on over the past few years have been successfully put into practice,” Leplir said at the ceremony marking the faculty’s 33rd anniversary. He stressed that the Faculty of Medicine’s success was the result of teamwork, adding that teamwork requires a strong leader, a role fulfilled by Dean Dejan Bokonjić. Alongside Bokonjić, he singled out Professor Nenad Marković for his significant contribution to the faculty’s internationalization. After 28 years of what he described as a positive experience working with people from this region, Leplir expressed his hope that the future of Republika Srpska and BiH would offer hope to all citizens, especially students and young people, and allow them to turn their dreams into reality. “I wish all of you, especially in these difficult geopolitical and uncertain times, to focus on the well-being and prosperity of all people, all citizens and all students,” said Leplir, who is retiring after nearly three decades of working in Republika Srpska and BiH and participating in projects supporting the education system. He concluded his emotional address to students and professors at the Faculty of Medicine in Serbian, saying, “I wish you all the very best.” Today, the Faculty of Medicine presented an award to Hirt de Leplir for his outstanding support in accreditation, quality assurance and international visibility. A total of 722 students from 38 countries are currently enrolled in the faculty’s four English-language study programs. India tops the list with 464 students, followed by Greece /42/, Germany /41/, Bangladesh /30/, Italy /19/, Egypt /15/ and the United Kingdom /14/. Students also come from France, Sweden, Ukraine, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Russia and Turkey, as well as numerous countries across Asia and Africa. “When we started, most of our students came from what were known as ‘Third World’ countries, particularly India. That pattern is now changing considerably, and we are attracting students from the EU, the United Kingdom and other countries. Today, we have around 120 students from the EU studying at the Faculty of Medicine, which is outside the EU,” Dean Dejan Bokonjić said. Teaching in English began in the 2020/21 academic year, making the faculty the first institution in Republika Srpska to offer programs in English. This year, it is seeing off its first cohort of international students, 56 of whom have graduated.