4.1.9. Education and research 

There has been some progress in the field of education, notably as regards the legislation. The Education Strategy Paper 2011-2016 was finalised and a budget was allocated for its implementation. The revised legislation for preschool, primary, secondary and higher education was adopted as well as policies for tackling the high drop-out rates of students, and violence at school. The Curriculum Framework was finalised. The participation in Tempus is increasing and the awareness about its benefits for public and private education institutions is improving. The administrative capacity to manage Tempus projects was strengthened. The European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education granted associate status to the Kosovo Accreditation Agency.

The revised legislation foresees a number of new bodies, funding of which is not yet secured. Greater attention is needed on quality management and quality assurance in education, particularly in the field of teacher training and the system of student and teacher assessment. There was an undue political interference in the appointment of certain school directors. Various programmes run by the Faculty of Education of Pristina University have not met the accreditation standards of the Accreditation Authority. The law on adult education and the law on vocational education training need to be reviewed to bring them in line with other legislation such as the law on national qualifications. The institutional capacity of the Qualifications Authority needs to be improved to implement further the law on the National Qualifications Framework. The draft procedures on the validation of qualifications and accreditation of the Vocational Education and Training providers require field testing and effective implementation. The Council for Vocational Education and Training needs to become fully operational. Women's access to vocational training needs to be strengthened. Kosovo needs to develop statistics and data on education, including the number of students and the employment rate of graduates.

Inclusive education requires increased awareness, attention and actions, notably to enhance the situation of marginalised groups such as children from minorities and children with disabilities. Schools and local authorities need to ensure equal opportunity to education for children from vulnerable groups. The strategy for integration of RAE in education provides a good framework. Learning centres for Roma pupils were opened. Simplified school registration of Roma pupils, which was guaranteed through an administrative instruction, remains to be enforced by the directors of schools. Pro-active measures to encourage enrolment and retention of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian children need to be implemented.

The high proportion of school-age children in the population and characteristics of the education system require enhanced commitments and resources from the government to develop capacities at central and municipal levels to implement the legislation.

On research and innovation, limited progress can be reported on the alignment with European standards. At the same time, it was declared a priority policy in 2010. The national science programme was implemented, funding research projects in the six priority areas for a total amount of € 1 million. Some support was granted to facilitate access to publications in Albanian language, one of the official languages. To stimulate the scientists, a prize was organised for the best Kosovan researcher of the year and the new researcher of the year. Participation in the Seventh European Research Framework Programme (FP7) has slightly increased in terms of submissions, but was very limited in successful and funded projects.

There has been no progress with respect to investment in research. Substantial efforts are thus necessary to contribute to the objectives and targets of the European Research Area and Innovation Union.

Overall, Kosovo is gradually progressing towards its priorities on education and research. The implementation of the legislative framework needs to be enhanced through improved coordination between central and local levels and by allocating more resources. Achieving progress in research requires additional and sustained efforts.

Human and physical capital

... Kosovo still lacks accurate data on the number of students and the employment rate of graduates. Schools continue to operate on multiple shifts. The research capacity of universities and research institutes in Kosovo remains very weak. The Investment Promotion and the Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) Agencies have set up an online catalogue of education institutions in Kosovo in order to enhance cooperation and transfers of expertise and technology to SMEs. Overall, the education sector is still affected by the lack of adequate facilities and characterised by poor outcomes.

Sources: http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/key_documents/2011/package/ks_conclusions_en.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/key_documents/2011/package/ks_rapport_2011_en.pdf

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