Helen Hellmark Knutsson (S), Minister of Higher Education and Research, announced during yesterday's press conference that she intends to have the nomination group produce proposals for new meetings of KI's board due to the scandal surrounding surgeon Paolo Macchiarini and the results of the investigations. The Minister also announced that Harriet Wallberg, University Chancellor and Head of the Office of the University Chancellor (UKÄ), will have to resign, as she was Rector of KI when Paolo Macchiarini was employed at KI.
We, as representatives of Sweden's students and doctoral students, support the decisions and believe that it is important to demand responsibility from all people in higher education and to safeguard continued strong confidence in Swedish higher education institutions. It is important that Sweden and the Swedish Academy are credible and relevant, nationally as well as internationally, for a strong global knowledge society where Sweden continues to have an important position. Appointing investigative investigations and then acting is in this case the right way to go.
As University Chancellor and leader of the University Chancellor's Office, the Swedish National Union of Students has worked closely with Harriet Wallberg, with a good dialogue on student issues. This dialogue has been particularly expressed during the design of the quality assurance system, which is intended, among other things, to review compliance with laws and regulations. It is sad, but responsible, to remove the university chancellor due to the responsibility she previously had as rector at KI.
The Swedish National Union of Students' hopes in the appointment of a new university chancellor are to focus on the person's knowledge and interest in not only research, but also for education at the undergraduate and advanced level, teaching and student issues. We hope for continued good cooperation with the new Chancellor. Especially now that the new quality assurance system is being launched and our role is clearer than in a long time. It is important that the work with the new quality assurance system, and thereby the university, does not suffer.
Sweden must continue to be a world-class knowledge nation. For us to be able to do that, laws and regulations must be followed and responsibilities must be demanded. We would like to thank Harriet Wallberg for her work at UKÄ and we respect Prime Minister Helene Hellmark Knutsson's decision.