CCE: Job performance at the University’s Historical Institute is also measured by visits to the director’s office

Is expertise at the Historical Institute of the University of Montenegro measured by academic credentials or by the number of visits to the director’s office? Judging by the documentation reviewed by the Centre for Civic Education (CCE), the latter can also serve as a criterion for staffing decisions at University’s Historical Institute, the NGO said.

According to a statement published on the social media platform X, Institute Director Radenko Šćekić dismissed his Deputy Director for General Affairs, Dr Miljan Gogić, on 16 July this year, arguing that he had „not been to the director’s office for more than two months“ and had shown insufficient interest in the Institute’s operations.

- The director also stated that, despite numerous technical responsibilities, he had been forced to personally perform duties falling within the remit of his deputy. However, this unusual criterion for evaluating the performance of senior management had a limited shelf life. Gogić was dismissed on 16 July, and the decision was annulled on 31 August - three days after a meeting of the Institute’s Council at which the director was elected and Gogić was the only candidate - the Centre for Civic Education pointed out.

The organisation added that the dismissal remained in force throughout the election process and was annulled only after the vote had taken place.

- What changed in the meantime - the assessment of his performance, his relationship with the director, or the circumstances surrounding the election - the CCE asked.

According to the organisation, this was not the only questionable aspect of the case.

- In his submission to the University's Board of Directors, Gogić pointed out that two deputy directors were members of the Election Commission and that the members of the Institute’s Council had received his Work Programme just over 24 hours before the vote - the statement reads.

The Centre for Civic Education therefore raised the question of what rules govern the Historical Institute and whether they are applied equally to everyone.

- How can a dismissal for failing to visit the director’s office be justified, only to be annulled immediately after the election? And how can confidence in the regularity of the process be ensured under such circumstances - the CCE asked.

The Historical Institute of the University of Montenegro, the organisation stressed, should be a place where facts are established, arguments scrutinised and decisions made on the basis of clear criteria.

- It should not be a place where job performance is measured by how often someone visits the director’s office or how close they are to the director. The Centre for Civic Education will continue to monitor the selection of the Institute’s new leadership, because scientific institutions must be built on knowledge, rules, accountability and academic integrity, not arbitrariness and petty political deal-making - the NGO said.