Reception in Honour of the Day of the Republic of Srpska and St. Sava

The reception at the University of Banja Luka dedicated to the Day of the Republic of Srpska and St. Sava was held on 26 January 2024 at the Faculty of Political Science.

Rector of the University of Banja Luka Prof. Radoslav Gajanin, PhD, emphasized the importance of celebrating the Day of the Republic of Srpska and Saint Sava at the University, as members of the academic community have participated in the creation and development of the Republic of Srpska.

"As you know, the University of Banja Luka has a rich history, but, naturally, during that time it was also faced with various challenges that it managed to overcome and continued to develop and improve. This is evidenced, among other things, by the fact that today there are three times more faculties operating as part of the University than there were at the time of its establishment. Many of our current faculties were created in the years when our Republic of Srpska was created", the rector said at the event organized by the University and the Ministry of Scientific and Technological Development and Higher Education.

As he stated, thanks to the effort and commitment of the Republic of Srpska, we got the University Campus at our disposal and management, where we have built and are building new facilities on the site of the existing infrastructure.

"Hence, last year we opened the building of the Faculty of Forestry and the Faculty of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy, and this year we are opening the building of the Student Multimedia Centre, and I am sure that the construction of the Science and Technology Park, the first in the Republic of Srpska, which will be located in the University Campus, will soon begin", the rector stressed and thanked the leadership of the Republic of Srpska for their support in these activities.

Rector Gajanin emphasizes that the work of St. Sava is a spiritual reading guide, an open book that conveys peace and love, calmness, generosity, philanthropy, patience, devotion to faith and prayer that makes us whole persons.

"We who work at universities, together with teachers in primary and secondary schools, have a great task and responsibility to create generations from our students that will be able to cope with all challenges in the future. When we hear that our student has achieved great results in his or her work, we know that we have done a good job - we have guided a great expert and a good man to the right path, who, in addition to the scientific part, has also gained human virtues", is the rector's message.

Assistant Minister of Higher Education of the Republic of Srpska Jelena Starčević points to the fact that eight centuries ago Saint Sava showed the path that the Serbian people should follow, which is the path of enlightenment, schooling, education and mutual love.

She said that Serbs should respect this and follow that path.

"This is necessary not only for the sake of our ancestors and what Saint Sava bequeathed, but also for future generations", Jelena Starčević said and pointed out that the University of Banja Luka has a significant role in the educational development of future generations, as it represents the backbone of development.

"That is why it is important to carefully create educational policies, to strategically approach the creation of the Serbian educational space and to carefully evaluate every measure we take," Starčević explained.

Senior Teaching Assistant at the Faculty of Philosophy Dejan Došlić, MA, who delivered the speech "Treasure of St. Sava" at the reception, pointed out that St. Sava is a central figure in Serbian history, culture, literature, but also art and endowment.

"Saint Sava was active in all fields of life, which commands special respect, but he is also an example that we should emulate. His lessons are relevant even today, we just need to understand them, unlock them and pass them on to future generations", he said.

The reception was also attended by the vice-rectors of the University, Prof. Milica Balaban, PhD, Prof. Dalibor Kesić, PhD, Prof. Kristina Pantelić Babić, PhD, and Prof. Aleksandar Ostojić, PhD, Financial Director Duško Lazić, Secretary General Đorđe Markez, President of the University Steering Board Prof. Biljana Antunović, PhD, and Board members. The following were also present: President of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of the Republic of Srpska Academician Prof. Rajko Kuzmanović, PhD, with academics, Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Serbia Asst. Prof. Aleksandar Vranješ, PhD, Adviser to the President of the Republic of Srpska Marko Romić, and deans, vice-deans, secretaries and heads of study programmes, as well as students of our university.

Photo: D. Desnica