ZAGREB UNIVERSITY SENATE SATISFIED WITH CONFIRMATION OF NATIONAL COUNCIL BY SABOR

ZAGREB, April 11 (Hina) - The Zagreb University Senate is satisfied that the Croatian Sabor has finally confirmed members of the new National Council for Higher Education and is particularly pleased that the Council is chaired by the Zagreb University Vice- Chancellor for Science, Helena Jasna Mencer, Zagreb University Chancellor Branko Jeren said on Wednesday. Jeren informed a news conference about yesterday's session of the Zagreb University Senate, which has been holding closed-door sessions for some time now. Jeren believes last week's parliamentary decision was necessary because, he reminded, the National Council for Higher Education had not operated for a year and faced much work. Jeren is satisfied that Zagreb University representatives accounted for a large part of the 19-member Council and that the body is headed by one of Croatia's best experts on higher education. The Senate yesterday adopted a decision on granting an honorary Zagreb University doctor's degree to renowned British scientist Kathleen Vaughan Wilkes, whose investigative work focuses on ancient philosophy, the philosophy of the spirit and the philosophy of the science. Professor Wilkes has been awarded the degree also "for her significant contribution to Croatia's struggle for independence and defence from the great-Serbian aggression and for helping and promoting the progress of the Croatian academic community." The Senate was informed about a ruling of the Administrative Court which accepted a complaint filed by the Faculty of Science (PMF) against the decision of Science and Technology Minister Hrvoje Kraljevic on the organisation of the Faculty's Mathematics department as a separate department. The ruling confirms the integrity of the PMF, which could not be registered until now due to Kraljevic's decision, Jeren said. The Senate also discussed enrolment quotas and a proposal by several faculties requesting an increase in those quotas. Jeren said it had been concluded that increasing the quotas would cause a drop in the quality of education which was why students' representatives voted against the proposal. As the Senate proposals remain to be considered by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Chancellor Jeren believes the ministry has no control whatsoever over the enrolment policy. (hina) rml