SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS OF EDUCATION IN KOSOVO · PDF fileSITUATIONAL ANALYSIS OF EDUCATION IN KOSOVO 5 ... education sector • Many reforms and improvements in the education sector

SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS OF EDUCATION IN KOSOVO2

Situational Analysis ofEducation in Kosovo

UNICEF KosovoJanuary 2004

Prepared by:

Anette Wenderoth Brian Moo Sang

design by: [email protected] • cover photo:Hazir Reka

SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS OF EDUCATION IN KOSOVO 5

• Kosovo has gone from a state of emer-gency and reconstruction to a phase ofdevelopment. The situation is yet unstableand uncertainty about the final status ofthe province affects all areas of society.

• The overall economic situation is diffi-cult with a tendency to become worse.International assistance for Kosovo is indecline and unemployment poses a majorproblem especially for youth and women.

• Civil society is only emerging while"post communist" attitudes and habits pre-vail.

• The situation remains tense withrespect to interethnic relations. Securityconcerns and access to public services arestill an issue for members of non-Albaniancommunities.

• The education sector has witnessedsubstantial reforms and improvementssince 1999 including:

- Lowering the school entry age to 6 instead of 7 years.

- Introduction of a new 5-4-3 years structure with 9 instead of 8 years of compulsory education.

- Completion of the new Curriculum Framework for Kosovo as a basis for the development of new subject curricula

- Improved enrolment rates on several school levels including early childhood and special needs education

- Increased public awareness about the educational and overall needs and rights of women and children, includ-ing children with special needs and from minority and rural communities

- Improved data collection andmonitoring of developments in the education sector

• Many reforms and improvements in theeducation sector are still weak with respectto their sustainability and reach.

• Coordination of initiatives in the educa-tion sector has been good and UNICEF asone of the "lead agencies" has played akey role in supporting MEST particularly inthe areas of early childhood education, cur-riculum development and all aspects relatedto ensuring the realization of children's andwomen's rights.

• The Ministry of Education, Science andTechnology has been established and hasbegun to take leadership in all educationmatters including policy development.However, it is yet in the process of devel-oping its management capacity to adminis-ter all emerging tasks.

• UNICEF's short- and mid term planningfor further support of the education sectorwill need to focus on securing the sustain-ability of reform initiatives and on furtherstrengthening and building of humancapacity within MEST and its local partnerorganizations.

Executive Summary


Acronyms:

CRS Catholic Relief ServicesDANIDA Danish International Development AgencyDES Department of Education and ScienceEAR European Agency for ReconstructionECE Early Childhood EducationERP Education for Rural PeopleETF European Training FoundationEMIS Electronic Management and Information SystemFAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United NationsFSEDK Finnish Support for the Education Sector in KosovoGTZ German Technical Assistance (Gesellschaft fuer Technische Zusammenarbeit)KEC Kosovo Education Centre KEDP Kosovo Educator Development ProjectKFOS Kosovo Society for and Open SocietyJIAS Joint Interim Administrative StructureMEST Ministry of Education, Science and TechnologyMLSW Ministry of Labor and Social WelfareOSCE Organization for Security and Cooperation in EuropePISG Provisional Institutions of Self GovernancePTC Parent Teacher CouncilSBASHK Union of Education, Science and Culture of Kosovo (Teacher's Union)SEE South Eastern EuropeSNE Special Needs EducationTADES Transitional Administrative Department of Education and ScienceTTRB Teacher Training Review BoardUNDP United Nations Development ProgramUNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural OrganizationUNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Human RightsUNICEF United Nations Children's FundUNMIK United Nations Interim Mission in KosovoUSAID United States Agency for International DevelopmentWB The World Bank


Contents:

1. Introduction 61.1 Background 61.2 Goal and Purposes of the Study 62. Methodology 62.1 Analytical Framework 62.2 Study activities 62.3 Universalia Team 62.4 About the document 73. Overarching Themes 74. Context 84.1 Social Context 84.2 Economic Context 94.3 Political and Institutional Context 95. Enabling Environment for Education 105.1 Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) 105.2 The Regional Education Administration 105.3 School and Community Level 115.4 Legislative Framework 115.5 Support Through International Donors and NGOs 126. Sector Specific Analysis and Findings by Theme 136.1 Curriculum Reform and Development 136.2 Teacher Training 146.3 Standards and Evaluation 156.4 Education Resources 156.5 Early Childhood Education 166.6 Compulsory Education: Primary and Lower Secondary School (Grades 1-9) 176.7 Upper Secondary Education (Grades 10-12/13) 186.8 Vocational Education 196.9 Minority Education 196.10 Gender and Education 216.11 Special Needs Education 226.12 Non-Formal Education/ Literacy 237. Conclusions and Recommendations 24

ExhibitsExhibit 5.1:Foundations for an enabling legislative environment for education 12Exhibit 7.1: Analytical Framework 28

AppendicesAppendix I List of Findings 26Appendix II Analytical Framework 28Appendix III References 29


1.Introduction1.1 BACKGROUNDUNICEF Kosovo has requested this study ana-lyzing the situation of education in Kosovo. Thedocument covers the areas of early-childhoodeducation, primary and secondary education,vocational and non-formal education as well asthe current status of major educational reforms,such as teacher training and curriculum.

A task force consisting of UNICEF membersof MEST and other organizations approvedof the TORs for the study. Universalia wascontracted by UNICEF to undertake the situ-ation analysis by mid September 2003.

1.2 GOAL AND PURPOSES OFTHE STUDY

The goal of the study is to present a situationanalysis of education in Kosovo. The studyhas several purposes:

• To provide the basis for programmaticdecision making for the next program cycleof UNICEF/Kosovo.

• To influence the process of child-centeredpolicy development and planning in the con-text of current social reforms in Kosovo.

• To serve as reference material for partnerorganizations, institutions and stakeholdersinterested in children's issues in Kosovo.

• To increase awareness on the situation ofchildren's rights and needs in Kosovo amongpolicy and decision-makers as well as generalpublic and children themselves.

• To contribute to overall advocacy effortsfor the promotion of children's rights and forpolicies and programs that foster the respectand fulfillment of their needs in accordancewith their rights.

• To identify inequities and gaps (gender,rural urban, etc) and provide advice on howto address them

2. Methodology2.1 ANALYTICALFRAMEWORK

Universalia developed a framework for theanalysis based on the criteria given byUNICEF and the study task force. A copy ofthe framework is included in Appendix II.

2.2 STUDY ACTIVITIES

As required by UNICEF and its partners, thestudy is primarily based on the analysis andsummary of a variety of existing reports anddata on education in Kosovo. Additionalinformation was collected through e-mailcontact, phone calls and personal visits inthe field during a mission in August 2003.Data analysis, interviews and writing of thereport took place in July and August 2003.A first draft was submitted to UNICEF onAugust 31st 2003.

Main sources of data were:

1) Documentation and reports on the educa-tion sector and its overall context publishedby Kosovan1 and international organizationsand institutions including MEST

2) Internal and mainly unpublished workingpapers and reports from some of the sameorganizations.

3) Informants from education and policycommunities in Kosovo (includingMEST/PISG, international bilateral agencies,NGOs and INGOs, educators, educationaladministrators, students and parents.)

2.3 UNIVERSALIA TEAM

The study team consisted of two consult-ants from Universalia Management Group:

• Anette Wenderoth

• Brian Moo Sang


The team was responsible for developing thework plan for the analysis, collecting andanalyzing data sources, preparing the draftand revised versions of the study. Seniormembers of Universalia were consultedthroughout the process of data analysis andwriting of the study.

2.4 ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT

The study seeks to summarize key develop-ments, achievements and current challengesin the education sector, which characterizethe present situation and are likely to influ-ence developments in the near and mid-termfuture. We assume that the audience of thisstudy is highly familiar with the history andcontext of Kosovo and its education system(e.g. parallel system before the conflict of1999), therefore basic historical facts arenot mentioned here. Some of the documentscited in the list of references (Appendix III)can provide an overview if required.

The study process was subject to the fol-lowing limitations and constraints:

• Time constraints: At the request ofUNICEF the study was limited to one per-son/month of work. Although this did allowfor a substantial review and analysis ofexisting data as well as for some additionaldata collection, in-depth exploration ofeach topic was not possible.

• Gaps and ambiguities in existing educa-tion statistics: Most available data refer tothe situation of the education system inthe years 1999 - 2001 but not to the pres-ent situation. Furthermore data on sometopics differs according to different sourcesand could not be reliably confirmed2.

• Difficulties in accessing current data:Communication with MEST and otherstakeholders proved to be difficult both viae-mail, but also by means of personal con-tact. This was partly due to the fact thatseveral people were on holiday while thestudy was compiled. Others had agreed tosend information and data, but had notdone so by the time the study was final-ized.

3. Overarching Themes The situational analysis yielded six recurrentthemes, which appear to cut-across the edu-cation system and educational reformprocesses in Kosovo. These themes are dis-cussed below to enable the readers toreflect on them as they study this report.The six themes are:

1) Positive Signs of Transformation -- Thereare numerous examples of major transforma-tions and positive changes, at all levels,towards the creation of a child friendly andchildren's rights-orientated education sys-tem. These transformations have been large-ly but not solely initiated through internation-al support3.

2) Questionable Sustainability of ReformProcesses -- The sustainability of manyreforms to date is questionable without sig-nificant continued international support.

3) Transition from Post-Conflict EmergencyStatus to Development and Integration intoEurope -- Most observers feel that Kosovo isin the transition from being a post-conflictemergency situation to being a society inwhich the focus is on more qualitative'development' issues. The meeting of"European Standards" is a widely sharedgoal although it remains, at best, vaguelydefined in most cases.

4) Ambiguities and Insecurities - In spite ofhaving moved beyond an emergency post-conflict stage, the situation is still widelyunstable, which affects personal and politicalperceptions of security. The unresolvedquestion of the future status of Kosovo is amain source for concerns.

5) Persistent Post-Communist Influences --Society is still widely characterized by "postcommunist" features while democratic pro-cedures and attitudes are only beginning toemerge. This characterization is manifest in:

- Weak institutions that lack performanceand don't yet meet requirements for sus-tainability.


- Economic paradoxes e.g. large discrepan-cies between salaries in the civil servicesector and on the free market.

- A lack of institutional transparency linkedto little or no public trust in institutions andlegal procedures.

- Politicization of all sectors and a tendencynot to compromise in principle.

- Hierarchical structures combined with alack of initiative and individual responsibili-ty. Democratization and decentralization ofdecision-making is still limited.

- Corruption in public services.

6) Continuing Inequalities - Cultural traditionsand legacies sustain gender inequalities, inter-ethnic tensions and disenfranchising of child-ren and youth in all ethnic communities. Also,the access to education and quality of educa-tion available to rural people are problematic.

4. Context 4.1 SOCIAL CONTEXT

FINDING 1: THE SITUATION OF CHILDREN,WOMEN, MEMBERS OF MINORITY COMMU-NITIES, AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES ISUNSATISFACTORY IN TERMS OF THE FUL-FILLMENT OF DEMOCRATIC STANDARDSAND BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS.

• Public and personal security is an issueespecially for the Serb community, whileother minorities are mainly concernedabout the issues of human security likeunemployment, poverty, and illiteracy4.

• Social, political and economic activitiesare highly male dominated. Women in allethnic communities continue to be exclud-ed from equal access to resources andservices5.

• Public awareness about the rights ofpeople with disabilities is rising only slowlyand access to education for children withspecial needs is still minimal.

• Children and youth in particular sufferfrom increasing family poverty often result-ing in child labor, school drop out or traf-ficking.

• Access to basic education for Children,youth and adults and specifically for younggirls and women in rural villages is lowerthan in urban areas and education quality isless

FINDING 2: THERE ARE NUMEROUSSOURCES FOR POTENTIAL FUTURE CON-FLICT BOTH BETWEEN, BUT ALSO WITHINETHNIC COMMUNITIES

• There are strong regional tensionsbetween the Serb dominated North and theAlbanian dominated South. The ongoingdiscussions about the status of theprovince and the option of partition fuel thepotential for further conflict.

• Both Albanian and Serb Kosovansregard relations between their communitiesas tense, expect them to remain tense, andare unwilling to agree upon key issues likethe return of refugees from the other groupinto their communities of origin6.

• The decreasing ability of younger gener-ations to speak the language(s) of otherethnic communities in Kosovo carriespotential for further tensions7.

• Youth are disenfranchised in many areasdue to the high social value attributed toseniority. A future "generation clash" espe-cially in urban areas is becoming likely8.

• Moral and cultural values, attitudes andpractices in urban and rural areas showgrowing discrepancies and may lead toconflict if the existing gap is widening fur-ther. The rural urban educational gap con-tributes to increase such discrepancies.

• Although religion is at present no sourceof conflict neither between nor within eth-nic communities, it does constitute a dor-mant force that holds potential for conflictas groups or individuals can easily utilize itas a symbolic token9.


4.2 ECONOMIC CONTEXT

FINDING 3: KOSOVO IS FACING SEVEREECONOMIC PROBLEMS THAT WILL RATHERINCREASE THAN IMPROVE IN THE NEARFUTURE. THE ECONOMIC SITUATIONAFFECTS WOMEN, YOUTH AND CHILDRENIN PARTICULAR.

• Kosovo has one of the highest rates ofunemployment in South Eastern Europe.

The problem of unemployment in Kosovo ischaracterized by:

- High rates among young people (71.6%for the age group 16-24),

- High rates among women (63%),

- A very high level of long-term unem-ployment (83.1%)

- High rates among people with secondaryeducation (58.5%)

- Higher unemployment in rural thanurban areas, partly due to illiteracy andlack of education/training.

- Large numbers of returnees from variousEuropean countries are yet expected tocome back to Kosovo and could worsenthe situation on the labor market.

• Donor assistance in 2003 will bereduced to 25% of the amount providedannually during the period 1999-200210.

At the same time local and internationalinvestments in local enterprises are scarce.

• The scope of changes and improve-ments in all sectors is affected by the lowgovernment budget.

• Salaries in the public sector are verylow in comparison to private enterprise oremployment with international organiza-tions. Corruption and lack of motivation arefrequent.

• Weakened family budgets can affecteducational attainment, as parents maydecide not to send children to schoollonger than absolutely necessary. Thisespecially affects girls and rural people11.

• Prostitution and trafficking are growingissues that endanger especially girls, unem-ployed youth and children from poor fami-lies12.

4.3 POLITICAL ANDINSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT

FINDING 4: THE EMERGING CIVIL SOCIETYIS STILL WEAK AND HIGHLY DOMINATEDBY POLITICAL POWER STRUGGLES.DISSATISFACTION WITH THE POLITICALSITUATION IN KOSOVO HAS INCREASEDAMONG ALL ETHNIC COMMUNITIES.

• There is not yet sufficient capacity tobuild sustainable Kosovan institutions thatoperate bottom up rather than top down.Existing institutions are still weak and widelypoliticized13.

• Corruption is widely spread and staffappointments frequently made based onpolitical party affiliations. Self-initiative anddelegation of authority are uncommon.

• The transfer of power from internationalto local institutions is a difficult and timeintensive process. Handover proceduresbetween UNMIK and PISG have beenaccompanied by disagreements and dis-putes.

The problem of unemployment in Kosovo ischaracterized by:

- High rates among young people (71.6% for the age

group 16-24),

- High rates among women (63%),

- A very high level of long-term unemployment (83.1%)

- High rates among people with secondary education

(58.5%)

- Higher unemployment in rural than urban areas, partly

due to illiteracy and lack of education/training.

- Large numbers of returnees from various European

countries are yet expected to come back to Kosovo and

could worsen the situation on the labor market.


"Political parties are highly influential andtend to be hard lined and averse to compro-mise. This often results in political uncertain-ty, delays in political decision-making andpotential invalidation of initiatives.

• Further disagreements and polarization ofopinions especially concerning issues sur-rounding Kosovo's final status are expected14.

• Youth and student groups tend to bepoliticized and related to a political party.There are several reported cases of teachersexpressing political views in school.

5. EnablingEnvironment forEducation

5.1 MINISTRY OFEDUCATION, SCIENCE ANDTECHNOLOGY (MEST)15

FINDING 5: THE MINISTRY IS STILL AYOUNG INSTITUTION STRIVING TO DEVEL-OP THE HUMAN CAPACITIES AND MANA-GERIAL CAPABILITIES IT REQUIRES INORDER TO MEET A CHALLENGING SET OFRESPONSIBILITIES AND EMERGING TASKS.

• MEST was established in March 2002.In spite of numerous challenges during itsfirst full year of independent operations,the ministry has worked towards creating(and subsequently revising) its organization-al structure, clarifying job descriptions,reporting requirements, and completingstaffing requirements16.

• When MEST was established, mostKosovan staff members had limited experi-ence in working in a ministry or similarinstitution. Considerable progress has beenmade since then with respect to addingskilled members to MEST staff and trainingministry employees. However, there is stillnoticeable room for improvement of admin-istrative and management skills, particularlyskills related to planning, organizing andimplementing processes17.

• As is common in developing institutions,the ministry's overall vision until now hasbeen largely driven by the Minister as a sin-gle individual and only partly been embed-ded in policy and decentralized leadership18.This phenomenon is already beginning tochange. For example, MEST has developeda five-year strategic plan that sets thestage for increasing decentralization andthe development of a 'joint vision' amongstaff members on all levels19.

• The number of international staff work-ing in MEST has been significantly reducedsince 2002 and will be further minimized.Their role has changed from co-leading cer-tain units to advising their Kosovan coun-terparts. It is widely felt that the successof the advisory model has been limited dueto UNMIK's lack of planning of the han-dover process20.

• Like other Kosovan institutions MEST issuffering from a limited budget and morereform plans than funds available. Teacherstrikes have been a major challenge in theschool year 2002/2003. Salary negotia-tions continue to date and may give causeto further disruptions of the educationprocess21.

• MEST has established and maintainedproductive collaboration with numerouspartner organizations and institutions,including NGOs, and bilateral and multilat-eral donors22.

5.2 THE REGIONALEDUCATIONADMINISTRATION

FINDING 6: RESTRUCTURING THE MUNICI-PAL EDUCATION PROGRAM OFFICES INTOA REGIONAL STRUCTURE CAN POSITIVELYAFFECT ACCESS TO RESOURCES ANDCOORDINATION OF INITIATIVES. THECHANGES ALSO BEAR CHALLENGES, ANDARE DEMANDING FOR MEST AND STAFFAT ALL LEVELS.

• Middle level educational offices serve askey mediators between the school/commu-


nity level and MEST and are essential forpassing on and implementing regulationsand instructions coming from MEST. Theirrole is especially relevant in a time whereMEST's capacities are still developing.

• In early 2003 MEST began a majorreform process of replacing the municipaleducation program offices with regionalones. If managed well, the new structurewill allow for better coordination of educa-tion programming across municipalitiesincluding equal access to funds andresources also to rural municipalities whohave often been disadvantaged in the past23.

• This is the second major reform ofmunicipal/regional education administrationwithin two years24 and will require consider-able time to become fully operational, andhave all teams function effectively. Asmany of the new recruits are familiar withthe previous system can help to shortenthis period of adaptation.

• The recruiting processes for staffing theregional offices has been accompanied bysome frustration as it took longer than ini-tially planned and selection procedureswere perceived as having not been fullytransparent and competency based. Severalof the new regional officers have previous-ly worked on the municipal level, but allnew staff will require further orientationand training.

5.3 SCHOOL ANDCOMMUNITY LEVEL

FINDING 7: "BOTTOM UP" AND GRASS-ROOTS INITIATIVES HAVE CONTRIBUTEDSIGNIFICANTLY TO THE CHANGES THATHAVE OCCURRED ON A CLASSROOM ANDSCHOOL LEVEL. MOST INITIATIVES AREDEPENDENT ON THE PERSONAL ENGAGE-MENT AND LEADERSHIP OF INDIVIDUALSAND DO NOT YET REFLECT AN OVERALLTREND IN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM.

• While community support for educationboth before and during the conflict washigh especially among the Albanian com-

munity, the interest and direct involvementof communities and parents in school lifehave reduced since 199925. Coping withthe immediate post-conflict situation and,then and now, with economic hardshipsare likely reasons for this development.

• However, there are numerous instanceswhere local level institutions have success-fully improved physical learning environ-ments and learning experiences of childrenon their own initiative or with help from(I)NGOs26. The Child Friendly School initia-tive led by UNICEF has set a positiveexample for school improvement and net-working across municipalities.

• Supportive and enthusiastic schooldirectors and staff members have playedan essential role in most successful initia-tives i.e. the school-based training of staff.Courses on school based management andeducational leadership have stimulatedchanges27.

• With support from MEST, UNICEF andpartner organizations28, Parent TeacherCouncils (PTCs) have been established inmost schools, and on municipal level.Parent involvement, however, often lacksquality and substance as participatoryprocesses of decision-making are yet newto educators and parents29.

• School youth councils exist in someschools but tend to be groups led in a rigidauthoritarian style with little influence ondecision-making processes. Positive excep-tions occur especially in schools targetedby general school improvement projects30.

5.4 LEGISLATIVEFRAMEWORK

FINDING 8: STABLE FOUNDATIONS FOR ANENABLING LEGISLATIVE ENVIRONMENTFOR EDUCATION HAVE BEEN LAID.HOWEVER, IMPLEMENTATION OF ANDCOMPLIANCE WITH LEGAL REGULATIONSARE CONTINUING CHALLENGES.

• The legal boundaries of the education


system have been marked by two majorlaws on education (see exhibit 5.1). DESand its successor MEST have also issued anumber of regulations and instructions reg-ulating specific details of the educationsystem.

• There is yet a lack of capacity in MESTto implement and administer existing orupcoming regulations and instructions bothon central and regional levels.

• The mere existence of laws, instruc-tions- and regulations does not guaranteetheir actual application. Educators are oftenunaware of laws and instructions but alsopurposefully ignore regulations for personal,political or other reasons31. The general lackof trust in legal procedures keeps manyeducators from using legal measures toclaim their rights or to complain about mis-treatment and inaccuracies32.

• To ensure that the right to education isalso granted to rural people special effortsare underway and the government ispreparing a strategy on Education for RuralPeople with FAO support, and broad stake-holder participation.

5.5 SUPPORT THROUGHINTERNATIONAL DONORSAND NGOS

FINDING 9: DECREASING SUPPORT FROMINTERNATIONAL DONORS AND LIMITEDCAPACITIES OF KOSOVAN NGOS THREAT-EN THE SUSTAINABILITY OF EXISTINGREFORM PROCESS AND ENDANGER

PROSPECTS FOR NEW INITIATIVES IN THEEDUCATION SECTOR

• The education sector faced massivefinancial and human support from interna-tional donors immediately after the conflictof 1999. While aid was not always wellplaced in the beginning, the establishmentof DES and the appointment of lead agen-cies improved the coordination of initia-tives. UNICEF has played a key role in theareas of curriculum reform, early childhoodeducation and advocacy for children's andwomen's rights.

• With the downsizing of existing pro-grams, the continuation or expansion ofqualitative programs on youth participationand gender issues are in particular at riskas they are easily classified as 'non essen-tial'.

• While numerous emergency oriented aidprojects have left Kosovo, the major donororganizations (UNICEF, GTZ, World Bank,Finnish government and CIDA/KEDP) haveapproved or are amiable to continuation oftheir support for another two to threeyears.

• With the establishment of MEST therole of the lead agencies has becomeincreasingly an advisory and supportiveone. However, MEST is still developing itscapacity to fully administer and coordinateactivities in all areas and has explicitlyrequested further support from internationalpartners.

• Opportunities for attracting new donorsare scarce37. This is likely to affect the

Exhibit 5.1 Foundations for an enabling legislative environment for education

Document/Law

The Constitutional Framework for Kosovo

The Law on Primary and Secondary education34 and theLaw on Higher education35.

Administrative instructions and Policy Drafts developed byMEST with (in some cases) advice from TTRB36.

Area of regulation/ Relevance

Highlights the right to education for all regardless of gen-der, ethnic or religious background or disabilities33.

Provide the legal framework for the education system inKosovo

Regulating concrete issues in specific areas of the educa-tion system e.g. the school calendar for the next year.Policy drafts e.g. on Standards of Professional Practice,Teacher Accreditation or a Code of Ethics for teachers


work of MEST and the feasibility of a num-ber of planned activities and reforms forwhich funding has not yet been secured.However, there have been examples ofsuccessful leverage of resources throughcooperation between initiatives and agen-cies38.

• To date, there is only one significantKosovan institution working in the field ofeducation (KEC) that has both the financialmeans and the human capacity for broadand sustainable continuation of its activi-ties.

• MEST's relation with the most influen-tial teachers' union (SBASHK) has recentlybeen overshadowed by salary negotiationsand teacher strikes. Other teachers' associ-ations/unions have limited capacities (bothhuman and financial) and lack influence.

6. Sector SpecificAnalysis and Findingsby Theme

6.1 CURRICULUM REFORMAND DEVELOPMENT

FINDING 10: FOUNDATIONS FOR A SUB-STANTIAL CURRICULUM REFORM HAVEBEEN LAID THROUGH A STRONGCURRICULUM FRAMEWORK BUT FURTHERSTEPS OF CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENTAND IMPLEMENTATION STILL POSE A SIG-NIFICANT CHALLENGE.

Achievements:

• There is wide consensus among mostcommunities in Kosovo that changes of theprevious curriculum are needed to align theKosovo curriculum with European stan-dards39.

• A comprehensive Curriculum Frameworkfor Kosovo has been prepared with supportfrom UNICEF. The document has under-gone extensive public consultation and hasachieved local and internationally acknowl-

edgement. It provides a stable basis for thedevelopment of subject and grade specificcurricula.

• Gender issues, children's rights, lifeskills education, and health and environ-ment education have been included atsome extent as cross curricula issuesspreading through all subjects and all gradelevels of the new school curriculum. Theyare also included in the pre-service teacher-training program of the Faculty ofEducation.

• MEST has developed scope andsequence frameworks for all subjects frompreschool to grade 13. Local curriculumdevelopers, with the technical assistanceof international experts, have worked ondeveloping subject curricula for grades 1, 6and 10 which will supposedly be imple-mented in the school year 2003/200440.

• MEST, with support from FAO, ispreparing a strategy of education for ruralpeople to ensure equal access to qualityand meaningful education for rural people.

Challenges:

• The tendency to politicize the curricu-lum and attribute symbolic value to it mayendanger its integrative and peace buildingpotential. There are a number of sensitiveissues and special care needs to be givento avoid discriminatory and exclusionaryterminology and concepts41.

• Expectations among educators and par-ents are high and may result in frustrationonce they realize that the new curriculumalone does not suffice to reform teachingand learning.

• Without profound preparation and con-tinuous support, teachers will find it diffi-cult to make adequate use of the moreopen structure of the new curriculum. Thiscan especially limit the realization of thenewly introduced cross cutting topics likegender issues and children's' rights.

• MEST is planning training courses toprepare teachers for using the new curricu-


lum. Time for preparation is scarce thoughand there is the danger that training maylack depth.

• It is still unresolved which curriculumSerb schools in Kosovo will use in thefuture. The politicization of the issue canresult in disadvantages for K-Serb pupilswho would be left behind developments inboth Kosovo and Serbia42.

• Kosovar Serb educators need to bedirectly involved in the development of thenew subject curricula in order to develop aunified, Kosovo wide curriculum that wouldbe acceptable for all communities.

• The relevance of including regional lan-guages besides English, French or Germanas part of the curriculum needs to beaddressed in more detail. At present, mostchildren do neither speak nor learn the lan-guage of another ethnic group living inKosovo43.

6.2 TEACHER TRAINING

FINDING 11: NUMEROUS POSITIVECHANGES HAVE OCCURRED IN BOTH IN-SERVICE AND PRE-SERVICE TEACHERTRAINING BUT THE SUSTAINABILITY OFREFORMS UNDERTAKEN TO DATE IS STILLAT STAKE. MEST IS BEGINNING TO TAKEON A COORDINATING AND LEADING ROLEIN TEACHER TRAINING BUT HAS NOT YETTHE CAPACITY TO MANAGE ALL EMERG-ING TASKS.

Achievements:

• There are numerous examples ofteacher training projects that have madepositive changes in schools and class-rooms. Child-centered methods of teachingare being used more frequently, particularlyon primary and lower secondary levels.

• Teachers, in particular younger teach-ers, from all over Kosovo have showngreat interest and enthusiasm to improvetheir professional skills. Non-financial incen-tives like learning opportunities and

acknowledgment through colleagues haveinspired many educators, to engage as(often unpaid) trainers and mentors for oth-ers44.

• Training courses have focused on gener-al teaching methodology, but numerousprograms have also focused on children'srights, child protection and psychosocialneeds of children.

• There is some potential that a semi-independent in-service agency will bedeveloped by MEST and supporting agen-cies over the next years which would takeover some coordinative tasks.

• MEST has taken leadership in develop-ing a framework for reform of the pre-serv-ice system of teacher training. The newFaculty of Education was established and afirst cohort of 300 students began studiesin autumn of 2002 and will enter theteacher system from 2006 onwards45.

Challenges:

• In spite of overall good coordination ofinitiatives in the area of in-service teachertraining, there is still a considerable amountof fragmentation that weakens the poten-tial for sustainability. Ongoing administra-tive tasks are large and exceed the currentcapacities of the in-service section inMEST.

• A clear framework for in-service teachertraining is needed to outline a progressivecareer path for educators and give incen-tives for ongoing professional development.MEST and TTRB have begun to develop afirst draft, but its implementation will needtime and resources.

• The new Faculty of Education has yet along way to go towards becoming sustain-able and it will be another 3 more yearsuntil first cohort of students will graduatefrom new courses.

• Pre-service training for secondary-teach-ers is still highly subject oriented and lackspedagogical and practical components. Todate the respective faculties in the


University of Pristina have remainedopposed to substantial changes of the cur-rent program.

6.3 STANDARDS ANDEVALUATION

FINDING 12: KOSOVO STILL LACKS ACOMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY FOR STAN-DARDS AND EVALUATION PRACTICESACROSS THE EDUCATION SECTOR.

Achievements:

• The MEST section for standards andevaluation has developed the first draft fornational standards for the subjects ofAlbanian and Turkish language,Mathematics and Natural sciences forgrade 1. A national test for pupils of grade4 in Albanian and Turkish language andmathematics has been developed, imple-mented and analyzed.

• Public awareness about the evolvingcharacter of educational and academicstandards is increasing. International com-parisons are being used more frequently toevaluate local standards and procedures.

• There are numerous examples of chang-ing attitudes towards standards and evalu-ation at classroom and school levels.Teachers are starting to use techniques ofpupils' self- evaluation and ongoing assess-ment through observation. Between col-leagues, supportive subjective feedback isbeginning to replace traditions of judgmen-tal critique.

Challenges:

• Attitudes among educators towardseducational standards and evaluation arestill widely shaped by traditional beliefs inhomogenous learning abilities and the valueof cognitive and repetitive skills.

• Higher value is often given to age andformal qualifications than to skills and per-formance. Closely related to this, academicstandards on all educational levels have not

yet reached European levels with respectto creative, problem solving and criticalthinking skills.

• MEST's priorities with respect to defin-ing and improving educational standardsare yet unclear. The orientation towardsdeveloping unified national tests is runningthe risk of perpetuating traditional foci onfactual knowledge and repetitive skills.Children with other learning styles, fromrural areas, and from cultural backgroundsthat de-emphasize formal education (e.g.Roma), who often have difficulties in thepresent system, would continue to be dis-advantaged.

6.4 EDUCATION RESOURCES

FINDING 13: EDUCATION FACILITIES HAVEBEEN IMPROVED, BUT THERE IS STILL ALACK OF SPACE AND SERIOUS PROBLEMSWITH SANITARY FACILITIES AND WATERQUALITY ESPECIALLY IN RURAL AREAS.

• Numerous donors including UNICEFhave been engaged in the successful reha-bilitation or (re) construction of schoolbuildings all over Kosovo. The focus ofactivities has now shifted to upgrading offacilities, especially water and sanitationinstallations.

• Most schools still work in at least twoshifts per day46 with the result that teach-ing hours are often during times whichhave negative effect on concentration andperformance particularly for young children.

• Due to the shift system, the total num-ber of lessons children attend per week islow: In 2002 grades 1 and 2 pupils had anaverage of 722 contact hours per schoolyear as compared to 850 -950 hours inWestern Europe and the OECD average of800 hours47. Depending on their age andthe grade level, children have between 3and 4.5 hours of instruction per day.

• In some areas, overcrowded schoolsalso derive from lack of planning for con-struction of new school buildings: someinternational organizations build schools


without taking existing locations or migra-tion into account. Especially secondaryschools tend to be overcrowded48.

• KEC with support from internationaldonors has established didactic centers infive municipalities. They are equipped with avariety of materials and provide opportunitiesfor teachers to do research and produce les-son materials. The didactic centers are notyet utilized to their full capacity and theirsustainability is questionable due to conflictsbetween the municipality administrations andMEST.

FINDING 14: LEARNING/WORKING CONDI-TIONS FOR CHILDREN AND EDUCATORSREMAIN CHALLENGING. TEACHERS AREBOTH UNDERPAID ANDINEFFICIENTLY/UNDER-EMPLOYED.

• Lack of motivation among teacher is afrequently named issue and in manyschools high rates of teacher absencetimes pose a problem as they furtherreduce the small number of teaching hourspupils receive. Teacher salaries are low andare perceived to be insufficient even for aminimal number of hours49.

• Teachers in lower and upper secondaryschools tend to teach one subject only, nomatter what other subjects may requireadditional staff in the school. This leads tothe fact that many schools are over-staffedwith under-utilized teachers.

• The average student/teacher ratio isbelow the average ratio of most EU coun-tries but ratios are not evenly distributedover the province: While some teachersface classrooms with up to 40 children,others have groups of four or five pupils50.

FINDING 15: THERE IS A LACK OF MOD-ERN LEARNING MATERIALS ON ALL EDU-CATIONAL LEVELS, WHICH IS EASED TO ALIMITED EXTEND THROUGH SELF-MADEALTERNATIVES DEVELOPED BY TEACHERS.

• The lack of (modern) textbooks and otherlearning materials is evident on all school lev-els and may become even more evident withthe implementation of the new curriculum.

• However, there are numerous positiveexamples of teachers using cheap and self-made resources, developing lesson plansand sharing them with colleagues to over-come the lack of textbooks and teachingmaterials adequate for using child/learnercentered instruction51.

6.5 EARLY CHILDHOODEDUCATION52

Finding 16: Numerous initiatives have led tosignificant improvements of the early child-hood education sector but the sustainabilityof reforms is still at stake. Girls, childrenfrom minorities and from rural areas as wellas children with special needs remain to bewidely excluded from access to early child-hood education.

Achievements:

• The importance of quality educationbefore the age of six is emphasized in theLaw on Primary and Secondary educationas well as in the Curriculum Framework forKosovo. Public awareness about the impor-tance of ECE has also risen due to initia-tives of UNICEF, MEST and numerous part-ner organizations.

• MEST has committed itself to providingimproved access and quality education forall children and on all educational levelsincluding Early Childhood Education (ECE).It has developed a 5-year strategic plan forearly childhood education in Kosovo andhas worked on policy components for theinclusion of children with special needs

• A new pre-school curriculum is beingdeveloped with support from UNICEF.

• Several ECE institutions has beenequipped and supplied with new didacticmaterials suitable for early age learning. The"Community Based Early childhood EducationCentre Project" supported by UNICEF andMEST has developed a plan to establish newcommunity based ECE centers over the nexttwo years, which take the need for sustain-ability though local ownership into account53.


• Numerous in-service training courses forECE teachers have been carried out mainlywith support from international agencies.They have achieved considerable successin raising awareness among teachers andincrease their professional skills related tochild adequate methods of teaching.

• The pre-service training of pre-primaryteachers is integrated in the new Faculty ofEducation. The new program is practice-ori-ented, and based on child-centered, inter-active principles of teaching and learning.

Challenges:

• Lack of clear statistical data about pastand present enrolment figures: MEST isstating an increase of overall numbers ofenrolments in EC institutions but compar-isons are difficult due to differing numbersaccording to source54.

• Access to ECE is not yet equally avail-able for all children, especially for childrenfrom minorities and in rural areas (especial-ly girls)55.

• Increasing the enrolment and inclusionof children with special needs in EC institu-tions remains a challenge.

• There is a lack of male ECE teacherswho could act as role model for young chil-dren56. The current gender distributionamong teachers supports stereotypes of'less important' jobs done by women and'more important' ones held by men

• The first cohort of graduates from thenew Faculty of Education will only finishtheir studies in three years from now.

6.6 COMPULSORYEDUCATION: PRIMARY ANDLOWER SECONDARY SCHOOL(GRADES 1-9)57

FINDING 17: COMPULSORY EDUCATIONIN KOSOVO HAS WITNESSED MAJORREFORMS RELATED TO THE ORGANIZA-

TION AS WELL AS THE QUALITY OFTEACHING AND LEARNING. EQUALACCESS TO EDUCATION AND SECURITYREMAIN ISSUES ESPECIALLY FOR CHIL-DREN FROM MINORITIES, GIRLS AND CHIL-DREN FROM POOR FAMILIES.

Achievements:

• Lowering the school entry age to 6years allows for better international com-parisons of educational results and devel-opments.

• With the introduction of the new 5-4-3structure the period of compulsory educa-tion has been extended to 9 instead of 8years. This brings the Kosovo school sys-tem in compliance with most EU andPHARE states58.

• Existing data about enrolment, schoolattendance and drop out indicate slightimprovements of enrolment and attendancerates over the past years especially for chil-dren from the Albanian community59.

• The Education ParticipationImprovement Project supported by theWorld Bank is aiming to reduce drop outrates during compulsory education and toimprove general enrolment rates in the tar-geted schools, especially enrolment of chil-dren from non-Albanian and non-Serb com-munities60.

• The new grade 9 has been implementedincluding the development of a new cur-riculum and teacher orientation61. It isenvisaged to act as an 'orientation year'helping pupils to make choices for theirfuture education and choice of career.

• Considerable improvements on an indi-vidual and school level with respect to thequality of teaching and the use of childcentered methods of instruction and plan-ning have been made through in-serviceteacher training.

• Some steps to re-integrate returnee chil-dren coming back from the diaspora havebeen made62.


Challenges:

• Enrolment rates for children, especiallyfor girls, from non-Albanian communitiesstill cause concerns63. Economic hardship,non-enforcement of laws that protect therights of children, and internal and externalmigrations are additional reasons forrestricted access to primary and lower sec-ondary education.

• The introduction of the new grade 9 hasbeen accomplished under immense pres-sure of time. MEST is currently assessingthe academic success through a test allgrade 9 students were obliged to take.Passing rates of just over 52% suggestthat a critical analysis of the curriculum,teaching materials and additional supportfor teachers may be needed.

• Due to lack of space grade 9 classesare often located in the premises of sec-ondary schools, which are usually locatedfurther away from children's homes.Numerous pupils, especially girls and youngpeople in rural areas are facing difficultiesas they lack access to transport.

• The reintegration of returnees remains achallenge. Teachers receive little supportand advice in working with returnee chil-dren and there is no overall policy or strat-egy in place. Acknowledgement of certifi-cates and degrees from other countriesoften causes problems.

6.7 UPPER SECONDARYEDUCATION (GRADES 10-12/13)64

FINDING 18: THE SECONDARY LEVEL OFEDUCATION HAS BEEN, COMPARATIVELY,NEGLECTED WITH RESPECT TO SPECIFICREFORM INITIATIVES. POSITIVE CHANGESTHAT HAVE OCCURRED ARE OFTEN 'SIDEEFFECTS' OF INITIATIVES TARGETED ATOTHER LEVELS OF THE EDUCATION SEC-TOR.

• Although a considerable number of sec-ondary teachers have participated in

teacher-training seminars, teaching on thesecondary level still tends to be highly aca-demic and teacher centered. In many casessecondary teachers regard themselves assubject specialists and therefore hesitate toengage in training on general methodology.

• Secondary schools and teachers havelargely contributed to the implementationof the new grade nine through offeringclassroom space and human capacity toteach the new compulsory grade. Howeverthe change was widely perceived as 'takingthe grade 9 away' from secondary schoolsand adding it to the lower cycle of educa-tion. Some grade nine teachers felt a lossof status by not being part of the second-ary cycle of education any longer.

• The pre-service training for secondaryteachers is still following traditional, highlysubject orientated patterns. University rep-resentatives have been unwilling so far tosupport substantial changes. As lower levelpre-service programs are being reformed,there is the danger of a growing "qualitygap" between secondary and lower levelsof education.

FINDING 19: ENROLMENT RATES OF GIRLSAND CHILDREN FROM MINORITIES TO SEC-ONDARY EDUCATION ARE STILL VERYLOW.

• In comparison to girls' enrolment in lowergrades there is a dramatic decrease of num-bers in secondary education65. Access tosecondary education is also limited for chil-dren from minorities, and from rural areas66.

• Drop out rates in secondary educationare high for both girls and boys, but areeven higher for boys67. Lack of publicawareness about the benefits of secondaryeducation can contribute to this as parentsand pupils tend to regard secondary educa-tion as relevant only if a pupil is aspiring toenter an academic university education.

• The World Bank Education ParticipationImprovement Project is trying to achievehigher-level transition to and attainment atsecondary level especially by girls in the tar-geted communities68.


• Poverty, culture and tradition are themain factors for drop out and non-enrol-ment. If they need to make a choice, mostfamilies give preference to education ofboys rather than girls69.

6.8 VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

FINDING 20: PROMISING FOUNDATIONSHAVE BEEN LAID TO IMPROVE THE QUALI-TY AND RELEVANCE OF VOCATIONALEDUCATION. FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTSAND THE DIFFICULT SITUATION ON THELABOR MARKET ARE KEY CHALLENGESFOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS.

Achievements:

• MEST has drafted a strategic paper ondeveloping vocational education. Data col-lection and research related to develop-ments of the labor market and employmentopportunities have been carried out withsupport from international experts.

• GTZ has taken on a lead role in coordi-nating activities in the area of vocationaleducation and providing support to MESTsince its establishment70.

• Training courses have reached a consid-erable number of teachers and observableimprovements of general teaching skills aswell as of subject/vocation specific skillshave been achieved.

• Kosovan staff was trained on curriculumdevelopment and worked on the vocationalcomponent of the new grade-9 curriculumas well as on new curricula for severalvocations. New profiles for vocationaltraining courses that are more closelyaligned with current labor market needshave been developed71.

• A number of vocational pilot schoolshave been established. A draft stature ofpilot vocational schools has been jointlydeveloped by MEST, and international part-ner organizations.

• Efforts to develop a new law for voca-tional education, to establish vocational

standard committees and a national skillboard are currently underway but will needmore time to be completed and functional72.

Ongoing challenges:

• The number of girls in vocationalschools is still very low73. The enrolmentsupports subject related 'streaming', i.e.female pupils do not enroll for subjects tra-ditionally regarded as 'male' domains likemechanics.

• Teachers are predominantly male, pro-viding no or little female role models forgirls in vocational schools74.

• There is a lack of qualified and well-trained teachers: Most instructors in voca-tional schools have no pedagogical back-ground and also lack updated knowledge ofthe profession they teach. Often the use ofmodern machinery and equipment, if avail-able at all, cannot be taught. Pre-servicetraining in the faculty of education does notyet include training for vocational teachers.

• Collaboration and coordination betweenthe various ministries responsible, respec-tively, for labor & social welfare, youth,and education is often challenging for allinvolved partners.

• While some labor market research hasbeen carried out, there is still a lack ofcomprehensive and sufficient data on thecurrent situation in Kosovo. This slowsdown the development of appropriate occu-pational standards and of a reformed sys-tem for identifying professional profiles tobe taught in vocational schools.

6.9 MINORITY EDUCATION

FINDING 21: NUMEROUS INITIATIVES HAVEADDRESSED IMMEDIATE NEEDS OF MINORI-TY COMMUNITIES BUT A KOSOVO WIDECOMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY FOR MINORITYEDUCATION IS YET TO BE DEVELOPED.BROADER POLITICAL ISSUES RELATED TOTHE FUTURE STATUS OF KOSOVO AFFECTEDUCATIONAL ISSUES PARTICULARLY FORTHE SERB COMMUNITY.


Achievements:

• The ministry's expressed goal is toachieve integration of all communities thatrespect ethnic diversity and creation of amultiethnic society through the education.MEST's vision includes the provision ofquality education for all at all levels includ-ing higher education, and education in therespective mother tongues of the communi-ties living in Kosovo75.

• Educators from all ethnic communitieshave participated in joint professionaldevelopment activities, round table discus-sions and symposia and have stated inter-est in further exchange across ethniclines76. Serb educators have attendedteacher-training seminars and Serb schoolsin North Mitrovica have joint the networkof child friendly schools supported byUNICEF.

• UNICEF and KEDP, under UNMIK coordi-nation and with support from MEST offeredtailored in service trainings for Serbianteachers and school directors, that helpedto further increase the recognition andacceptance of professional developmentamong Serb educators.

• There have been first indications thatthe current Serbian Ministry of Educationand Sport will support the development ofa Kosovo specific curriculum that wouldacknowledge K-Serbian education specifici-ties.

• Some progress has been made in pro-viding early childhood education in theirmother tongue for Roma and Turkish chil-dren.

• OSCE and MEST organized the first"National Round Table on Roma, Ashkali,Egyptian Education in Kosovo in July 2003with participation of representatives fromSerb and Roma communities.

• MEST has stated that a national strate-gy for minority education will be preparedwithin 200377.

Challenges:

• Although the situation has improved,most non-Albanian communities especiallyRoma, Ashkalija and Egyptian children, arestill deprived of full access to all basicservices and few minority children receivethe same standard of education as majoritychildren78.

• Lack of freedom of movement andsecurity for minority communities still pre-vent the operation of an efficient educa-tional system at all levels, which is in com-pliance with international human rightsstandards for minority education79.

• Opportunities for pupils from non-Albanian communities to enter higher edu-cation are poor80. With regards to the edu-cation system, lack of access to pre-serv-ice teacher training in and for the teachingof their respective mother tongue is of spe-cial concern for members of minority com-munities as it relates back to the overallproblem of education in one's mothertongue81.

Key challenges for the Serb community:

• Parallel system: The Serb communitycontinues to work within a parallel educationstructure and is widely refusing cooperationwith the Kosovo authorities and UNMIK.Schools are following the (old) Serb curricu-lum and school structure i.e. have not adopt-ed the new 9th grade.

• Politicization: Choices about curricula,textbooks etc are not necessarily made withthe benefit of the pupils in mind but for theirsymbolic value with respect to the status ofKosovo.

• Lack of support and supervision throughauthorities: Teachers and other educatorsare caught in a kind of power vacuum withneither Pristina nor Belgrade taking fullresponsibility for their supervision. There is adanger of Serb educators getting more andmore behind educational reforms and devel-opments on both sides - to the disadvantageof their pupils82.


• Transport and security: There is nocomprehensive plan in place to providesecure bus transport for students. Escortsfor Serb students have widely been can-celled although experience has shown thatnumbers of enrolled children increased whenthere was bussing available83.

• Discrimination: Most Serb enclaves canonly provide elementary (primary) education- pupils have to travel to other enclaves toattend secondary school84.

• Lack of qualified teaching staff: quali-fied Kosovo Serbs teachers who live withinthe region and who would have to commuteare not applying for the posts in theenclaves mostly because of security con-cerns and problems with transport. Insteadhiring of village people who are not/lessqualified85.

Key challenges for RAE, Bosniak and Turkishcommunities:

• Access to education is still compro-mised due to discrimination and historicalantipathy towards formal education as wellas language difficulties.

• Educational attainment: Non-Serbminorities receive on average two years lesseducation than Serb and Albanian communi-ties. While attainment rates in Kosovo havegenerally improved over the last years, fig-ures for the cohort of 16-25 year olds innon-Serb minorities have declined86.

• No comprehensive plan: The particulareducational needs of the RAE communitieshave not yet been addressed through a com-prehensive plan and have mainly remaineddependent upon initiatives of internationals orNGOs, only some of which receive supportfrom MEST87, and who are not always in ongo-ing exchange of information with the ministry.

• Reach: A series of catch up programshave been implemented successfully buthave not yet been able to reach all childrenin need of additional support.

• Lack of mother tongue education:Improvements in access to education in chil-

dren's' mother tongues have occurred but ina rather limited and unsystematic way.

6.10 GENDER ANDEDUCATION

FINDING 22: THERE IS PERSISTING GENDERINEQUALITY IN THE EDUCATION SECTOR,WHICH AFFECTS GIRLS FROM MINORITYGROUPS AND FROM RURAL AREAS INPARTICULAR. A COMPREHENSIVE ANDEFFECTIVE POLICY ON GENDER EQUALITYIS STILL LACKING.

Achievements:

• MEST is working towards the explicitgoal of achieving equal access to educationfor both boys and girls as well as promot-ing and supporting the protection ofwomen's rights in all areas of social, cul-tural and political life88.

• UNIFEM has developed a comprehensiveaction plan on gender for Kosovo includingthe education sector, which outlines needs,solutions and organizations with 'responsi-bility' for cooperating on these issues.

• UNICEF has successfully advocated forincluding gender as a cross cutting issue inthe new curriculum

• Public awareness and awareness amongeducators about the role of education andgender relations has risen. Gender topicshave been included in in-service trainingand teachers as well as directors of bothsexes show great interest in the topic.

• Enrolment rates of boys and girls in pri-mary and lower secondary schools arenearly equal for Albanian and Serb commu-nities.

• A pilot project to reintegrate 'drop out'girls into school has been initiated byMEST in four municipalities.

• The MEST/World Bank EducationParticipation Improvement Project (EPIP)helps to improve enrolment and retention


of school children, with emphasis on theenrolment/ retention of girls.

• MEST and the Department of Justicecollaborate on reintegrating Kosovan vic-tims of human trafficking into schools.

• MEST/KEDP have developed in-servicetraining modules for teachers on method-ologies of addressing gender in education.

Challenges:

• Gender issues are still widely under-stood as 'women's issues' both in the gen-eral public but also among educators andadministrators. Public awareness has beenincreased but traditional attitudes not giv-ing high priority to the education of girlsand women prevail.

• The current MEST gender-strategy isincomplete and widely unknown amongeducation stakeholders.

• Educational attainment is still higher formales than females, especially in ruralareas and in non-Serb minorities89. Familyobstacles combined with early marriagesare the second main factor for interruptionof girls' education in rural areas.

• Poverty tends to affect girls' educationespecially: When in question, many poorfamilies decide to send boys to school thanrather girls.

• The proportion of women educators isinverse to the (perceived) relevance of aposition: There is a lack of male teachersat the pre-primary and primary levels andlacks of female teachers at secondary, postsecondary and educational leadership lev-els.

• Structural changes of the education sys-tem, sometimes resulting in long distancesto (secondary) schools, have causedincreased drop out rates, especially of girlswho do not have access to safe transporta-tion.

• The new curriculum that includes gen-der as a cross-cutting issue requires appro-

priate training of teachers to ensure appro-priate inclusion of gender in teaching andlearning.

• The current selection criteria of theUniversity of Pristina are based on meritonly, but fail to allow for positive discrimi-nation to increase the number of femalestudents, or students from minority com-munities, and from rural areas.

6.11 SPECIAL NEEDSEDUCATION

FINDING 23: THE SECTOR OF SPECIALNEEDS EDUCATION HAS CONSIDERABLYIMPROVED BOTH ON THE LEVEL OF POLI-CY DEVELOPMENT AND IN SCHOOLS ANDCLASSROOMS. SECURING SUSTAINABILITYAND BROADENING THE SCOPE OF EXIST-ING INITIATIVES WILL REMAIN KEY CHAL-LENGES IN THE NEAR AND MEDIUMFUTURE.

Achievements:

• School enrolment of children with spe-cial needs has increased slightly90 and thelack of information about the situation ofeducation for children with special needsbeen improved through ongoing data col-lection.

• MEST has developed a detailed andrealistic strategy paper on special needseducation with the explicit goal to worktowards a system of all-inclusive educationin Kosovo91. Attached classes have beenintroduced in at least one school in eachmunicipality.

• Coordination of donor activities in theSpecial Needs Education (SNE) sector hasworked well under the leadership of MESTand FSDEK. Positive synergy has especiallybeen achieved in the areas of early child-hood education and teacher training.

• Teachers who have participated in pro-fessional development training haveimproved their skills with respect to teach-ing methods, use of teaching materials and


development of individual education plansfor their pupils. A first group of Kosovantrainers has begun to provide introductorycourses on SNE with support from FSEDK.

• Public awareness about children withspecial needs has considerably grown dueto numerous initiatives of various local andinternational projects and through MEST.

• A comprehensive draft for an EducationPolicy for special needs children has beendeveloped in cooperation with the workinggroup for a cross-sectorial disability policycovering education, health, employmentand other areas.

• Facilities, especially heating and sanita-tion facilities, have been renovated andupgraded in all Special Needs schools anda new school for hearing impaired childrenhas been constructed

• Pre-service training for teachers of SNEwill be established as part of the newFaculty of Education with support from theFinnish government.

Challenges:

• Equal access to all levels of educationfor children with special needs remains amajor issue especially in rural areas and inminority communities. Although overallenrolment rates have increased they stillindicate that only a small part of the esti-mated number of children with specialneeds has access to formal education92.

• Financial constraints limit the provisionof additional in-service training, transportservices; equipment for additional specialneeds classrooms as well as purchase ofspecial materials and teaching aids.

• While the model of special schools andalso of attached classrooms in 'normal'schools is widely accepted, full inclusion ofchildren with special needs is still a faraway goal93.

• It will take at least 4-5 years until thefirst graduates from the new pre-serviceprogram for Special Needs Education will

graduate. Even longer timeframes apply tothe formation of MA or PhD students whocould later on lead pre-service training andresearch independently.

• A substantial change of public attitudesand attitudes among educators in particu-lar, will require more time and proactiveadvocacy on behalf of children and adultswith special needs.

6.12 NON-FORMALEDUCATION/ LITERACY

FINDING 24: OVERALL RATES OF ILLITERA-CY HAVE DECLINED BUT ARE STILL HIGH.GENDER, AGE AND GEOGRAPHICAL LOCA-TION INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF BEINGAFFECTED BY ILLITERACY. MEST IS STILLIN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING ACOHERENT KOSOVO WIDE STRATEGY ONLITERACY.

Achievements:

• UNICEF in cooperation with UNESCOand MEST has been successfully imple-menting non-formal education programs formore than 2000 women and girls in 130centers throughout Kosovo.

• Teaching materials covering literacy andlife skills education have been developedlocally.

• There are numerous examples of suc-cessful initiatives aiming to offer educationto women and girls in both urban and ruralareas, which are led by Kosovan women'sinitiatives and NGOs94.

• Several studies and surveys on literacyrates in Kosovo have provided a goodinsight into the current situation and itsdevelopments95. Given the present highlevel of enrollment in primary education,illiteracy is expected to drop down tobelow 5 percent96.

• A study on the situation of basic educa-tion for rural people is currently beingundertaken by MEST and FAO to identify


the main constraints to equal access tobasic education for rural people.

Challenges:

• The lack of access to formal educationduring the 1990s resulted in an increase inilliteracy (15 to 22 percent) among the 16to 25 year olds, especially among membersof non-Serb minorities97.

• Literacy programs for RAE communitiespose extra challenges due to often unfavor-able attitudes of community memberstowards education.

• Initiatives to reduce illiteracy are frag-mented and do not reach all parties in needfor support, especially in rural areas.Financial constraints limit the expansion ofexisting programs

• A comprehensive policy and strategy onnon-formal education developed in coopera-tion with stakeholders from the municipaland community levels is still lacking.

• 99% of women in rural areas are unem-ployed and have little opportunity to prac-tice and utilize literacy skills, even if theyhave attended formal education98.

• Access to quality basic education forrural people is inhibited by numerous fac-tors, including lack of infrastructure, dis-tances to schools, insufficient child nutri-tion, inappropriate teacher training, andlack of relevance of education contents99.

7. Conclusions andRecommendationsCONCLUSIONS:

• Considerable changes and improve-ments have been made in nearly all sectorsof the education system and on all levels(MEST, regional, school, classroom).

• In most areas of the education sectorreforms have left the phase of post-conflictemergency-relief and have entered a stageof development with focus on qualitativeimprovements and sustainable results. Todate sustainability of many initiatives andreforms is questionable without the contin-uation of international support for at least1 or 2 years.

• UNICEF has provided important supportand leadership in various sectors and haslaid successful foundations through localcapacity building on several levels of theeducation system.

• Although cooperation and coordinationamong NGOs, donor agencies and MESThas been good, there is still considerablefragmentation of projects on school, munic-ipal and regional levels. MEST does not yethave the full capacity to integrate all areasand initiatives.

• The situation in Kosovo is still charac-terized by inequalities related to gender,ethnicity, disenfranchising of youth anddiscrimination of children (and adults) withdisabilities.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Based on the 24 thematic findings, the over-arching themes and the summarizing conclu-sions identified in the study, the analysis hasyielded 3 key recommendations in responseto the study's goal of providing input toUNICEF's next program cycle. They areaddressed at UNICEF, but are equally rele-vant for other audiences and with respect tooverall policy development concerning chil-dren's rights and needs.


While the first recommendation focuses on'top down' processes, the second one is tar-geted more, but not exclusively, at 'bottomup' initiatives. Both levels need to feed intoeach other and are equally necessary to pro-vide for overall sustainability and local own-ership of reforms. The third recommendationis concerned with the need for awarenessbuilding across levels and disconnected fromsocial roles and institutional tasks.

1) The international community should focusits investments during the next 3-5 years onbuilding effective and sustainable Kosovaninstitutions in the education sector and relat-ed fields.

Effective and sustainable institutions are keyto long-term reforms. At present the per-formance of most institutions is weakeneddue to a lack of capacity in the areas ofadministrative and management skills, in par-ticular skills related to planning, organizingand implementing processes. Public trust ininstitutions working in education needs to beimproved, especially through transparentprocedures and continuing communicationwith stakeholders.

2) During the next program cycle the inter-national community in concert with MESTshould put priority on strengthening existinginitiatives and improving networking amongthem.

Capacities that have been built in previousinitiatives could be utilized more efficiently ifplanning occurred increasingly across the(mental) boundaries of projects or affiliationwith one particular organization or NGO. Atpresent, the "thinking in boxes" limits theimpact of existing resources.

For example: local trainers experienced inmodern teaching methodology could beincluded more effectively in the developmentand implementation of the new subject cur-ricula and training of their colleagues. Linksto the Faculty of Education or the ChildFriendly School Initiative would be othermeans to strengthen the curriculum reformand to support networking among localstakeholders on various levels.

3) The international community should fur-ther concentrate on building capacity amongKosovan stakeholders throughout the educa-tion system to advocate for and contributeto meeting the rights of women, childrenand all ethnic groups.

This recommendation addresses the need forcontinued awareness raising both on aninstitutional and on a societal level to includechildren's and women's rights as cross cut-ting issues in all processes of policy develop-ment or decision making. Advocacy in theseareas needs to happen disconnected frominstitutional or individual roles, and has tobecome a common part of public discourse.


FINDING 1: THE SITUATION OF CHILDREN,WOMEN, MEMBERS OF MINORITY COMMU-NITIES, AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES ISUNSATISFACTORY IN TERMS OF THE FUL-FILLMENT OF DEMOCRATIC STANDARDSAND BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS.

FINDING 2: THERE ARE NUMEROUSSOURCES FOR POTENTIAL FUTURE CON-FLICT BOTH BETWEEN, BUT ALSO WITHINETHNIC COMMUNITIES

FINDING 3: KOSOVO IS FACING SEVEREECONOMIC PROBLEMS THAT WILL RATHERINCREASE THAN IMPROVE IN THE NEARFUTURE. THE ECONOMIC SITUATIONAFFECTS WOMEN, YOUTH AND CHILDRENIN PARTICULAR.

FINDING 4: THE EMERGING CIVIL SOCIETYIS STILL WEAK AND HIGHLY DOMINATEDBY POLITICAL POWER STRUGGLES.DISSATISFACTION WITH THE POLITICALSITUATION IN KOSOVO HAS INCREASEDAMONG ALL ETHNIC COMMUNITIES.

FINDING 5: THE MINISTRY IS STILL AYOUNG INSTITUTION STRIVING TO DEVEL-OP THE HUMAN CAPACITIES AND MANA-GERIAL CAPABILITIES IT REQUIRES INORDER TO MEET A CHALLENGING SET OFRESPONSIBILITIES AND EMERGING TASKS.

FINDING 6: RESTRUCTURING THE MUNICI-PAL EDUCATION PROGRAM OFFICES INTOA REGIONAL STRUCTURE CAN POSITIVELYAFFECT ACCESS TO RESOURCES ANDCOORDINATION OF INITIATIVES. THECHANGES ALSO BEAR CHALLENGES, ANDARE DEMANDING FOR MEST AND STAFFAT ALL LEVELS.

FINDING 7: "BOTTOM UP" AND GRASS-ROOTS INITIATIVES HAVE CONTRIBUTEDSIGNIFICANTLY TO THE CHANGES THATHAVE OCCURRED ON A CLASSROOM ANDSCHOOL LEVEL. MOST INITIATIVES AREDEPENDENT ON THE PERSONAL ENGAGE-MENT AND LEADERSHIP OF INDIVIDUALSAND DO NOT YET REFLECT AN OVERALLTREND IN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM.

FINDING 8: STABLE FOUNDATIONS FOR ANENABLING LEGISLATIVE ENVIRONMENTFOR EDUCATION HAVE BEEN LAID.HOWEVER, IMPLEMENTATION OF ANDCOMPLIANCE WITH LEGAL REGULATIONSARE CONTINUING CHALLENGES.

FINDING 9: DECREASING SUPPORT FROMINTERNATIONAL DONORS AND LIMITEDCAPACITIES OF KOSOVAN NGOS THREAT-EN THE SUSTAINABILITY OF EXISTINGREFORM PROCESS AND ENDANGERPROSPECTS FOR NEW INITIATIVES IN THEEDUCATION SECTOR

FINDING 10: FOUNDATIONS FOR A SUB-STANTIAL CURRICULUM REFORM HAVEBEEN LAID THROUGH A STRONGCURRICULUM FRAMEWORK BUT FURTHERSTEPS OF CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENTAND IMPLEMENTATION STILL POSE A SIG-NIFICANT CHALLENGE.

FINDING 11: NUMEROUS POSITIVECHANGES HAVE OCCURRED IN BOTH IN-SERVICE AND PRE-SERVICE TEACHERTRAINING BUT THE SUSTAINABILITY OFREFORMS UNDERTAKEN TO DATE IS STILLAT STAKE. MEST IS BEGINNING TO TAKEON A COORDINATING AND LEADING ROLEIN TEACHER TRAINING BUT HAS NOT YETTHE CAPACITY TO MANAGE ALL EMERG-ING TASKS.

FINDING 12: KOSOVO STILL LACKS ACOMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY FOR STAN-DARDS AND EVALUATION PRACTICESACROSS THE EDUCATION SECTOR.

FINDING 13: EDUCATION FACILITIES HAVEBEEN IMPROVED, BUT THERE IS STILL ALACK OF SPACE AND SERIOUS PROBLEMSWITH SANITARY FACILITIES AND WATERQUALITY ESPECIALLY IN RURAL AREAS.

FINDING 14: LEARNING/WORKING CONDI-TIONS FOR CHILDREN AND EDUCATORSREMAIN CHALLENGING. TEACHERS AREBOTH UNDERPAID ANDINEFFICIENTLY/UNDER-EMPLOYED. .

AAppppeennddiixx 11 - List of Findings


FINDING 15: THERE IS A LACK OF MOD-ERN LEARNING MATERIALS ON ALL EDU-CATIONAL LEVELS, WHICH IS EASED TO ALIMITED EXTEND THROUGH SELF-MADEALTERNATIVES DEVELOPED BY TEACHERS.

FINDING 16: NUMEROUS INITIATIVESHAVE LED TO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVE-MENTS OF THE EARLY CHILDHOOD EDU-CATION SECTOR BUT THE SUSTAINABILI-TY OF REFORMS IS STILL AT STAKE.GIRLS, CHILDREN FROM MINORITIES ANDFROM RURAL AREAS AS WELL AS CHIL-DREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS REMAIN TOBE WIDELY EXCLUDED FROM ACCESS TOEARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION.

FINDING 17: COMPULSORY EDUCATION INKOSOVO HAS WITNESSED MAJORREFORMS RELATED TO THE ORGANIZA-TION AS WELL AS THE QUALITY OFTEACHING AND LEARNING. EQUALACCESS TO EDUCATION AND SECURITYREMAIN ISSUES ESPECIALLY FOR CHIL-DREN FROM MINORITIES, GIRLS AND CHIL-DREN FROM POOR FAMILIES.

FINDING 18: THE SECONDARY LEVEL OFEDUCATION HAS BEEN, COMPARATIVELY,NEGLECTED WITH RESPECT TO SPECIFICREFORM INITIATIVES. POSITIVE CHANGESTHAT HAVE OCCURRED ARE OFTEN 'SIDEEFFECTS' OF INITIATIVES TARGETED ATOTHER LEVELS OF THE EDUCATION SEC-TOR.

FINDING 19: ENROLMENT RATES OF GIRLSAND CHILDREN FROM MINORITIES TO SEC-ONDARY EDUCATION ARE STILL VERYLOW.

FINDING 20: PROMISING FOUNDATIONSHAVE BEEN LAID TO IMPROVE THE QUALI-TY AND RELEVANCE OF VOCATIONALEDUCATION. FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTSAND THE DIFFICULT SITUATION ON THELABOR MARKET ARE KEY CHALLENGESFOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS.

FINDING 21: NUMEROUS INITIATIVESHAVE ADDRESSED IMMEDIATE NEEDS OFMINORITY COMMUNITIES BUT A KOSOVOWIDE COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY FORMINORITY EDUCATION IS YET TO BE

DEVELOPED. BROADER POLITICAL ISSUESRELATED TO THE FUTURE STATUS OFKOSOVO AFFECT EDUCATIONAL ISSUESPARTICULARLY FOR THE SERB COMMUNI-TY.

FINDING 22: THERE IS PERSISTING GENDERINEQUALITY IN THE EDUCATION SECTOR,WHICH AFFECTS GIRLS FROM MINORITYGROUPS AND FROM RURAL AREAS INPARTICULAR. A COMPREHENSIVE ANDEFFECTIVE POLICY ON GENDER EQUALITYIS STILL LACKING.

FINDING 23: THE SECTOR OF SPECIALNEEDS EDUCATION HAS CONSIDERABLYIMPROVED BOTH ON THE LEVEL OF POLI-CY DEVELOPMENT AND IN SCHOOLS ANDCLASSROOMS. SECURING SUSTAINABILITYAND BROADENING THE SCOPE OF EXIST-ING INITIATIVES WILL REMAIN KEY CHAL-LENGES IN THE NEAR AND MEDIUMFUTURE.

FINDING 24: OVERALL RATES OF ILLITERA-CY HAVE DECLINED BUT ARE STILL HIGH.GENDER, AGE AND GEOGRAPHICAL LOCA-TION INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF BEINGAFFECTED BY ILLITERACY. MEST IS STILLIN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING ACOHERENT KOSOVO WIDE STRATEGY ONLITERACY.


AAppppeennddiixx 22 - Analytical FrameworkExhibit 7.1 Analytical Framework

SECTOR/TOPICContextual issues / Key areas:

• Social and cultural • Economic• Political and institutional

The enabling environment for education• The Ministry of Education, Science and

Technology • Regional and local levels of administration and

intervention• Legal environment• Support through donors and local institutions

Sector specific areas / key areas of educationreform

• Access to education, drop out and attendance• Quantity and quality of teaching• Curriculum and textbook reform• Education resources• Early Childhood Education• Primary and Lower Secondary Education(compulsory education)• Secondary education• Vocational Education• Special Needs Education• Minority Education• Non-formal education/Literacy

Conclusions/ Recommendations

GUIDING QUESTIONS• What characterizes the current situation in the

context of education? • What consequences and relations does the

context bear for the education sector

• What is the current situation with regards tothe institutional, legal and social enabling environ-ment for education?

• What have been recent developments andachievements in the enabling environment?

• What are ongoing or expected challenges andlimitations?

• What is the current situation in the respectivearea?

• What implications does the situation bear withregards to the realization of children's' andwomen's rights?

• What have been key achievements and devel-opments or improvements (if any) over the pastthree years?

• What are ongoing or expected challenges andlimitations?

• How sustainable are current improvements andreforms if sustainability is seen as being reliant on:

- Institutionalization- Leadership/coordination- A critical mass of change agents- The policy environment - Resources and resource generation

• How relevant and effective has UNICEF's sup-port to the education been to date?

• What are key challenges in the present situa-tion of the educations system?

• What recommendations for UNICEF's futuresupport for the education sector can be concludedfrom the analysis?


Amnesty International: "Prisoners in our ownhomes". Amnesty International's concerns forthe human rights of minorities inKosovo/Kosova. (2003)

Buleshkaj, O. and Mizzi, R. (ed.): Messagesfrom the Classroom. Sharing Learner CentredIdeas. (Pristina 2002)

CRS: Kosovo Education Programme. Mid TermReview. 2003

Daxner, Michael: Education for refugees anddisplaced persons in the Caucasus and in theBalkans. Draft report for the council of Europe.(2003)

Daxner, Michael: Education in Kosovo: From cri-sis to recovery and transformation. (2002)

KEC: Education in Kosovo. (2001)

KEDP: Annual report 2002- March 2003.(2003)

KFOS: Women's and girls education: Kosovowide literacy survey. (2002)

European Training Foundation: Employment andskills Development in Kosovo. Web page.(2003)

Friends of the Children: Survey in three RomaCamps in Northern Kosovo (200X)

Martin, Paul A.: Training Needs Analysis -Analytical Note - Ministry of Education, Scienceand Technology - KSP Employees. Departmentof Democrratiation, OSCE Mission in Kosovo,Pristina (2002)

MEST Division on Special Needs Education:Strategy paper for special needs education.(2002)

MEST: Law on Primary and SecondaryEducation. (2002)

MEST/EMIS: School Education Statistics 2002.(Nov. 2002)

MEST: Annual Report (March 2002 - March2003). (2003 a)

MEST: Strategic Plan for the development ofeducation in Kosova (2002 -2007). Draft #4.(2003 b)

MEST: weekly reports 2002-2003 (InternetNewsletters)

MEST Division on Special Needs Education -

Disability policy on education in Kosovo (Draftpolicy paper as part of the Comprehensive dis-ability policy framework for Kosovo). (2002)

MEST/TTRB: In-service sustainability studyreport. (2003)

MEST/TTRB: Enabling Sustainability forLeadership in education development. (2003)

MEST/UNICEF/KFOS: Statistics on education inKosovo. (2002)

OECD: Thematic Review on Education inKosovo. (2001)

SOK/UNICEF/TADES: Statistics on Education inKosovo 2001. Version 2. (2002)

The World Bank: Kosovo Poverty Assessment(in two volumes). (2001)

The World Bank: Kosovo, FR Yugoslavia.Medium-Term Public Expenditure Priorities.(2002)

The World Bank: Project appraisal document forthe 'Education Participation ImprovementProject'. (2003)

UNDP (with USAID / Riinvest): Early WarningReport. Kosovo. Report # 3. (2003)

UNDP: Human Development Report. (2002)

UNHCR/OSCE: Ninth Assessment of the situa-tion of ethnic minorities in Kosovo. (2002)

UNHCR/OSCE: Tenth Assessment of the situa-tion of ethnic minorities in Kosovo. (2003)

UNICEF: Recommendation to the Ministry ofeducation, science and Technology for aStrategy to Develop Early Childhood Educationservices in Kosovo. (2001)

UNICEF/ MEST/ ECE Steering Committee 2001:Situation Report on Early Childhood Educationin Kosovo. (2001)

UNICEF: Some aspects of UNCEF contributionto improvement of education in Kosovo.(Unpublished report). (2003 a)

UNICEF: Education for Minority Children inKosovo. (Unpublished report). (2003 b)

UNICEF/ SOK/ MEST: Gender Review inEducation in Kosovo. (2002)

UNMIK: Kosovo and its population. A briefdescription. (2003)

AAppppeennddiixx 33 - References


Endnotes1We use of the term "Kosovan" throughout the wholedocument to refer to members of all ethnic communi-ties living in Kosovo. Unlike "Kosovar(s)" the term"Kosovan" carries no ideological connotations.2See also UNICEF (2003 b) on challenges of data col-lection, especially cooperation between EMIS, MESTand other actors. 3See the Analytical Framework in appendix II for amore detailed explanation of the term 'sustainability'.4UNDP 2003.5There are surely differences between ethnic communi-ties, yet the overall tendency of disadvantaging womenis cross cutting.6UNDP 20037At present neither the Albanian nor the Serb commu-nities include the respective other language in their cur-ricula. The new curriculum framework for Kosovo doesnot explicitly exclude the teaching of Serbian/Serbo-Croatian or other regional languages, but also does notemphasize the need for learning any of the regional lan-guages and/or the languages spoken in Kosovo (i.e.Turkish, Romani).8Approx. 46% of Kosovo's population is between 3and 24 years old. Demographic trends show a continu-ing high birth rate, although the initial post-conflictbaby boom among the Albanian population is expectedto start decreasing during the next years. However,since 1999 and until the present day numbers of chil-dren in schools have steadily increased. (UNMIK 2003)9For example there have been rather emotional publicdiscussions about girls wearing a headscarf in school -some feel it should not be allowed, others regard it asa basic right. This is intertwined with rumors aboutIslamic organizations paying women for wearing theheadscarf. 10UNDP 2003.11UNDP 2002. See also KFOS 2002.12UNDP 2003.13In many cases the existing administration mecha-nisms in Kosovo so far "generate more dissonancesand conflicts than they do governing efficiency".(UNDP 2003)14UNDP 200315The Kosovo Ministry of Education, Science andTechnology (MEST) was officially established on March4, 2002 when it took over responsibilities from theJIAS Transitory Administrative Department ofEducation and Science (TADES). MEST is structuredinto a political component (represented by the ministerand his political advisors) and a civil structure lead bythe office of the permanent secretary. The civil struc-ture is hierarchically divided into 3 Departments, 12Divisions and 30 sections or units. (MEST 2003 a).16MEST 2003 a.17Martin, Paul A. 2002. OSCE and MEST have recently

investigated possibilities for further provision of trainingfor senior MEST staff and OSCE may be able to pro-vide the support needed to realize this training. 18Martin, Paul A. 2002.19MEST 2003 b.20This evaluation is based on statements from bothKosovan and international staff in MEST. Both sideshave repeatedly expressed disappointment and frustra-tion about the lack of preparation and guidance in thehandover process but have also blamed the respective'other side' for lack of trying or will to cooperate. 21In mid August 2003 the government has announceda permanent raise of 20 percent of teachers' salariesand further investigations into other ways of improvingthe salary system. SBASHK had threatened with newstrikes at the beginning of the new school year shouldthe issue of salaries not be addressed satisfactorily. 22As demonstrated, for example, in "ImprovingParticipation in Education" (MEST, World Bank, KEC);or the joint project of MEST, CRS and four ParentTeacher Associations (PTAs), addressing girl schooldropouts.23In the past, each municipality used to have one ortwo Education Officers only responsible for all aspectsof education within the municipality. These municipali-ty-based EOs have now been replaced by a team ofseven regionally based Officers headed by a Regionalor Senior Education Officer. Each EO will deal withone sector - Administration, Communities and Gender,Curriculum & In-service, Inspection, Special Needs,Standards & Assessment, Vocational Education -across the region. An additional position forCommunities has recently been created and is to beoccupied by a non-Albanian candidate.24The previous reform, introducing the so-called 'twolayer system' of administration, had occurred in early2001. It resulted in the establishment of municipalEducation Development Offices, each with two educa-tion officers accountable to MEST. These officers alsohad a municipal counterpart in the MunicipalDirectorate of Education, who was responsible for theeducational 'hardware' like school buildings and provi-sion of transport, while the DES/MEST officers weremainly concerned with issues of education program-ming and the quality of instruction. After initial con-flicts and disagreements about the division of compe-tencies, the teams in most municipalities cooperatedwell.25UNICEF 2003 a.26Learning experiences have, for example, beenimproved through locally organized teacher training.27Courses on educational leadership were for exampleinitiated and carried out by UNICEF, KEC and KEDP.28Such as CRS, and World Vision.29CRS 2002.30E.g. schools included in the Child Friendly School ini-tiative and those targeted by CRS in their PTC project.31For example in the case of corporal punishment: thereare reoccurring reports of teachers or school directors


using corporal punishment as a disciplinary measure.32For example after the process of dismissing and re-appointment of primary school directors in 2002: Whileseveral directors expressed the belief that they had losttheir positions due to (or lack of) political affiliations,none of them put in an official complaint or took legalmeasures to initiate an investigation. Other voicesattributed the loss of their positions due to a lack offormal qualifications and/or training.33Promulgated by the SRSG on May 15th 200134Passed by the Kosovan assembly on 27 July 200235Promulgated by the SRSG in early 2003 after lengthydisputes about the status of the (Serb) institute forhigher education in North Mitrovica.36TTRB is an advisory body to MEST that has beenestablished in 2001 with support from KEDP. It ischaired by MEST and includes representatives of vari-ous stakeholder groups i.e. parents, teachers andschool directors.37MEST hoped to attract the interest of new donorstrough a donor's conference held in May 2003.Although the interest in the conference was high,those agencies present were mainly those involved inKosovo anyway. So far no new or additional invest-ments in the education sector have been indicated. 38E.g.: The Finnish government has recently approved anew project to support the development of pre-servicetraining for special needs teachers. Their engagementwas partly dependent on the previous establishment ofa new faculty of education, which had been supportedby CIDA/KEDP, ADRA Denmark and Save the ChildrenDenmark.39The need for changes in the curriculum is alsoacknowledged by parts of the Serb community.However, the majority of Serb educators and parentsdoes not wish a Kosovo specific curriculum but wouldprefer to continue using the same one as schools inSerbia& Montenegro.40UNICEF has indicated to provide financial support toMEST also for the preparation of the curricula forgrades 2, 3 and 11, which are to be developed in2003/2004.41E.g. in developing history curricula or in making deci-sions about how to name a certain topic --"MotherTongue" as opposed to "Albanian Language".42There have been indications that, under certain condi-tions, the ministry in Belgrade may support the intro-duction of the Kosovo curriculum in K-Serb schools - ifprovisions are made to ensure that this curriculum issensitive vis-à-vis K-Serbian education specificities, andacknowledges them.43See 4.1; finding No. 2.44The establishment of the practice teaching compo-nent of the new pre-service courses within the Facultyof Education gave an example of teachers' engage-ment: Numerous teachers volunteered to become'mentor teachers' and have been successfully workingwith faculty members and students.45The Faculty of Education was established with the

technical assistance provided by KEDP/ CIDA. Classesfor the 4-year course started in November 2002. Thefaculty covers the pre-service teacher training for pre-primary, primary, and lower secondary education, andoperates in four regional centers, i.e. the former higherpedagogical schools that have now merged into oneFaculty. For more information, see:http://www.kedp.ca/ 46In urban areas like Pristina, Gjilan, Prizren, Mitrovicaand Peja, schools operate in as many as three to fourshifts. (MEST 2002)47The World Bank, 2002.48The average number of pupils in secondary schools is668, as compared to 317 in primary schools and 518in Pre-school facilities. MEST/EMIS 2002.49On average teachers have 20 hours of teaching on afull-time contract. 50The average student/teacher ratio in Kosovo is 19.4for primary and 18.8 for secondary schools. The EUaverage is 22. (The World Bank 2002.)51For example the ideas compiled in "Messages fromthe classroom. Sharing learner centred ideas".(Buleshkaj, O. / Mizzi, R. (eds.) 2002). Similar collec-tions have been or are going to be published by KEC,CARE and ADRA Denmark.52The sector of Early Childhood Education (ECE) inKosovo includes pre-primary classes for children aged5-6, and preschool/ kindergarten care for children aged9 months-6 years. ECE is not compulsory.53The project is being implemented by the NGO "Everychild".54MEST Pre-school Education Section (2003): 15789children were enrolled in Pre-primary groups in theschool year 2002/2003 as compared to 14126 in theyear 2001/2002 (= increase of 1663). Preschoolclasses: according to MEST 5366 children wereenrolled in 2002/2003, which would mean a decreaseof numbers compared to EMIS data from 2001 whichmention 7433 children. (EMIS 2001 as cited by TheWorld Bank 2002). On the other hand KEC (2001)names a total of 5224 children in preschool educationfor the school year of 2000/2001, which again wouldsupport a slight increase of numbers. According toMEST/EMIS (2002) in April 2002 there were 21747children enrolled in Pre-school, 14454 in pre-primaryclasses and 7293 in Kindergartens.55SOK 2002.56According to MEST data 54 out of 521 preprimaryeducators in the school year 2002/2003 were male.57Compulsory education in Kosovo starts at the age of6 and covers Primary school (grades 1-5) and LowerSecondary School (grade 6-9). Compulsory educationhas been extended to 9 instead of 8 years in theschool year 2002/2003. Out of 060 primary schools inKosovo 87% have instruction in Albanian, 9.5% inSerbian, 2.4% in Bosnian. (MEST/EMIS 2002)58PHARE states are: Bulgaria, Hungary, Czech Republic,Estonia, Poland, Romania, Latvia, Lithuania, Sloveniaand Slovakia.


59According to OECD (2001) only 80% of children inthe age between 7-15 were included in the educationalprocess and 27% of children enrolled in the 1st classdropped out before reaching the 8th grade. SOK(2002) states enrolment rates of 97% and little dropout rates for both girls and boys during primary educa-tion. However, MEST/EMIS 2002 state a slightdecrease (1423 pupils less than in the previous year)of overall enrolment in the school year 2001/2002.60The World Bank 2003.61According to MEST there were 30.800 pupils in1045 grade 9 classes. 1650 teachers were engaged inteaching grade 9 in the school year 2002/2003.62E.g. through a strategy paper developed by MESTand the school-based work of some NGOs like"Empowering Returnees" (EmpoR).63While data for boys and girls attendance of Albanianchildren in primary school are nearly equal, only 77%of children from 'other ethnic groups' are attendingschools, and in this group only 69% of girls versus85% of boys are enrolled. (SOK 2002). See also WB2001.64Upper secondary education (hereafter just referred toas secondary education) consists of three or four yearsand is divided into grammar school and vocationalschool (see 6.8). Ca 50% of all secondary studentsenrolls in grammar schools (gymnasiums). Out of 140secondary schools, 108 (77%) have instruction inAlbanian language, 31 schools (22%) in Serbian, andTurkish is the means of instruction in only 1 school.65SOK 2002: In 2001/2002 only 42% of secondarystudents was female. In April 2002 44% of all pupilsenrolled in Secondary schools were girls. (MEST/EMIS2002). See also KEC 2001, OECD 2001 on the sametopic.66OSCE 2002 and 2003.67SOK 2002.68The World Bank 2003.69Main reasons for non-attendance on all school levelsare: the private cost of education, work obligations,lack of interest, safety and access to transportation.(SOK 2002)70Major support was also provided through the Swissand Danish governments, the European TrainingFoundation (ETF) and the European Agency forReconstruction (EAR).71MEST with support from international donors hasdeveloped 11 new subject profiles that have beenpiloted in grades 10.72MEST and the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare(MLSW) together with GTZ and other internationalorganizations work on this together.73In the school year 2001/2002 only 38% of vocation-al students were female, in the municipality ofMitrovica it was only 29%. (SOK 2002)74Reliable data on exact numbers of teachers and thepercentage of women were not available.75MEST 2003 a.76For example at Symposium on "Equal Opportunities in

Education" organized by KEDP in March 2003.77UNICEF 2003 b.78Amnesty International 2003. The situation for Serbchildren is slightly better, and drop out rates amongSerb pupils are low.79UNHCR/ OSCE 2002.80K-Serb pupils do have the opportunity to attend high-er education in Serbia proper, which contributes to theincreasing exodus of younger Serbs from Kosovo. 81The University of Pristina has recently approvedreforms of the pre-service program for teachers of theLower Secondary School. However, program parts onBosniak and Turkish language will be decided uponseparately- which can, and most likely will be, inter-preted as a sign of exclusion and non-integration.82E.g.: Serbia is presently introducing a new grade 1curriculum and has provided extensive teacher trainingfor grade teachers in Serbia proper, but not for teach-ers in Kosovo. K-Serbs are not sure to date whichgrade 1 curriculum to follow in the next school year. 83Amnesty International 2003.84UNHCR 2002.85According to MEST data there are currently 137 Serbschools in Kosovo (107 main schools + 30 satelliteschools) mainly located in enclaves or in municipalitieswith a considerable number of Kosovo Serb population.At present there are approximately 23,629 K-Serb stu-dents Kosovo-wide. The number of K-Serb teachingstaff is 2,360, together with 922 non-teaching staff.86SOK 2002.87UNHCR 2003.88MEST 2003 A.89E.g. KFOS 2002, UNICEF/SOK/MEST 2002.90Ca 600 children in 2002 as compared to 503 in2001. (SOK 2002, MEST Division for Special NeedsEducation 2002).91MEST Division of Special Needs Education 2002.92Approximately 15% of all children with special needsin Kosovo (600 out of the estimated 4000).93Which is the case not only in Kosovo but in all coun-tries that aim for a model of inclusion.94For example the NGOs Motrat Quiriazi, Women forWomen and the Kosovo Women's Network.95For example studies compiled by KFOS 2002,UNICEF/ SOK/MEST 2002.96The World Bank 2003.97UNHCR/OSCE 2003; the World Bank 2003.98KFOS 2002.99A detailed analysis of the education situation for ruralpeople will result from the ongoing MEST/FAO partici-patory study project, which will be concluded in mid2004.

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