Ministry of Education, Science, and Innovation and UCG, and Telecom: Free use of electronic signature services for all freshmen at the University of Montenegro
The Ministry of Education, Science, and Innovation and the University of Montenegro, in collaboration with Montenegro Telecom, will provide electronic signature services to all new freshmen of UCG, who begin their studies in the 2024/25 academic year. Montenegro Telecom will offer these students the eTrust promo package, which includes 10 transactions for electronic signing, thus enabling freshmen to easily sign their study agreements.
The cooperation was confirmed today with the electronic signing of the agreement by the Minister of Education, Science, and Innovation, Prof. Dr. Anđela Jakšić-Stojanović, the Rector of UCG Prof. Dr. Vladimir Božović, the CEO of Montenegro Telecom Stjepan Udovičić, and the Director of Service Development and Digital Transformation, Dušan Banović.
Rector Božović emphasized the importance of this cooperation in modernizing teaching, stating that it simplifies administrative procedures and facilitates students access to services at the University of Montenegro. The goal is to develop students digital skills and create an education system that meets contemporary needs.
Minister Jakšić-Stojanović highlighted the positive cooperation with Montenegro Telecom, which has actively supported Montenegros education system in digitalization and the use of electronic services. She stressed that digitalization is crucial at all levels of education and expressed confidence that the University of Montenegro would be a key driver of change in this process.
Udovičić reminded that Montenegro Telecom is the first telecommunications operator in the country registered as a qualified provider of electronic trust services, further proving the companys strong commitment to digital transformation and the development of digital competencies in the community.
This cooperation fosters the development of specific digital skills for youth in an era of accelerated digitalization and transition to electronic business. Udovičić also noted that the eTrust platform is the first and only fully digital solution for electronic signatures, seals, timestamps, verification, and delivery of electronic documents in Montenegro, aimed at leading the countrys economy and society towards digitalization.
The process of creating accounts on the eTrust portal is simple and explained in detail on the website and other communication channels of Montenegro Telecom. Once a student is admitted, an electronic version of the contract is available on the e-Enrollment portal (upisi.edu.me), which the student, as a registered eTrust user, can electronically sign and upload the signed version to the site. Signing study contracts is active from July to September.
Montenegro Telecom has been supporting the educational system of Montenegro for 17 years, providing free internet to over 200 primary, secondary, and preschool institutions in urban areas, and has included about 150 schools in rural and suburban areas in recent years. This initiative provides institutions without access to fixed internet with free mobile 4G internet and high-speed data flow, with the cost of internet packages provided for free to educational institutions amounting to about 100,000 euros last year.
Digital services and modern technologies make sense if they are accessible and available to citizens, which is the basic premise of our cooperation with the educational sector. This confirms the verified project today, as well as nearly two decades of cooperation with the Ministry of Education, providing reliable and free fixed and mobile infrastructure for educational institutions. Montenegro Telecom is a leading innovator in the telecommunications context, developing advanced services, making them accessible, but also planning to go further in terms of education and promotion of responsible consumption of digital content and behavior in the online space, concluded Banović.