Communities Access to P U Re- Niversity Education in Kosovo
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The right to education and related rights are “recognized in a number of international human and minority rights instruments which are directly applicable in Kosovo. COMMUNITIES ACCESS TO PRE-UNIVERSITY EDUCATION IN KOSOVO December 2018 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................... 3 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 4 1.1 Background information ................................................................................................... 4 1.2 Scope and purpose of the report ...................................................................................... 5 1.3 Methodology ...................................................................................................................... 6 2. LEGAL AND POLICY FRAMEWORK ........................................................................................ 8 3. ACCESS TO EDUCATION FOR COMMUNITIES AND PRE-CONDITIONS FOR QUALITY EDUCATION ............................................................................................................................... 10 3.1 Education in the Albanian language ............................................................................... 10 Albanian-language education in municipalities with the Kosovo Albanian community in a numerical minority ............................................................................................................... 11 3.2 Education in community languages ............................................................................... 12 Romani language extracurricular programme ........................................................................... 15 Additional community-specific subjects enabling communities to preserve their identity ....... 16 3.3 Learning of official languages ........................................................................................ 17 3.4 Institutional support for equal access to education ...................................................... 18 4. OVERVIEW OF EDUCATION IN THE SERBIAN LANGUAGE ................................................. 20 5. CONCLUSIONS ...................................................................................................................... 25 6. RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................................................................... 27 1 COMMUNITIES ACCESS TO PRE-UNIVERSITY EDUCATION IN KOSOVO LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CCC Consultative Council for Communities CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women CoE Council of Europe CRC Convention on the Rights of the Child ECHR European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms FCNM Framework Convention on National Minorities HCNM High Commissioner for National Minorities ICESCR International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights KCF Kosovo Curriculum Framework KESP Kosovo Education Strategy Plan LEM Law on Education in the Municipalities of Kosovo LLSG Law on Local Self-Government LPPRC Law on Protection and Promotion of Rights and Interests of Communities and Their Members LPUE Law on Pre-University Education LUL Law on the Use of Languages MCR Ministry of Communities and Returns MED Municipal Education Directorate MEST Ministry of Education, Science and Technology MESTD Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development OKiM Serbian Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija OLC Office of the Language Commissioner OPM Office of Prime Minister OSCE Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe PRTAN Prevention and Response Teams towards Abandonment and Non- UDHR Registration and Non-Enrolment in Compulsory Education UNESCO Universal Declaration of Human Rights 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The report assesses the provision of pre-university education in Kosovo for communities in a numerical minority at the municipal level between 2014 and 2017. The focus of the report is on communities’ access to education in Albanian and Serbian as the two official languages, and in Bosnian, Romani and Turkish as community languages in terms of: availability of education in a chosen language including physical access and alternatives when such education is not provided, such as subsidized transport; availability of textbooks and sufficient and qualified teaching staff; availability of community-specific subjects; institutional support to communities through scholarships and transport arrangements as well as opportunities for interaction among students from different communities. This report assesses the compliance of the Kosovo education system with the norms contained in the Kosovo institutions’ legal framework, whereas the report provides only a factual overview of the Serbian curriculum system on the ground. With regard to the assessed framework, institutions generally provide communities with an adequate level of support in accessing education, such as transport, scholarships, as well as catch-up classes that are mainly provided in co-operation with civil society organizations. A sustainable solution for the provision of Serbian-language education within the Kosovo education system is yet to be found. Education in community languages is generally available but the provision of textbooks in the Bosnian and Turkish languages remains uneven. Lack of organized transport for students remains an issue in some municipalities, particularly in those where Kosovo Albanians are in a numerical minority. Kosovo- curriculum schools teaching in the Bosnian and Turkish languages have Albanian as an official language subject; however relevant textbooks for non-mother tongue learners have not been developed. Apart from the Romani language subject with elements of history and culture and subjects in Turkish and Bosnian, it would be recommendable to develop additional community-specific subjects. The Kosovo Education Strategic Plan 2017–2021 includes, as one of its aims, the development and implementation of policies and mechanisms to foster inter-ethnic relations through education. Opportunities for interaction among students from the two education systems however remain insufficient and sporadic in practice. The report includes a set of recommendations to relevant institutions regarding the sustainable provision of education for communities, completion of the curricula translation in community languages, as well as the promotion of inter-community dialogue in education, in particular in mixed schools with premises shared by the two systems. The report further recommends development of textbooks for learning the Albanian language as a non-mother tongue subject, implementation of agreements on mutual diploma recognition, as well as a continuation of the verification of degrees issued by the University of Mitrovica/Mitrovicë North and expanding the process further. 3 COMMUNITIES ACCESS TO PRE-UNIVERSITY EDUCATION IN KOSOVO 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background information An earlier report by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Mission in Kosovo released in 20091 noted a duality of education systems in Kosovo2 marked by a separation between the students from different communities in attendance. The report further highlighted that smaller communities such as Kosovo Roma, Kosovo Ashkali, Kosovo Egyptians, Kosovo Montenegrins, Kosovo Croats and Kosovo Gorani enjoyed fewer opportunities for learning about their cultures and identities, while textbooks were not provided for the secondary education in Turkish and Bosnian. Problems with physical access to schools and lack of organized transport were also noted in some municipalities. Additionally, opportunities for learning of the other official language were reportedly not provided within either education system. The previously published report recommended to the relevant educational institutions to develop community-specific subjects as well as ensure the complete development and distribution of textbooks for the Turkish and Bosnian language curricula. The report also recommended introduction of the second official language classes within the existing curricula, along with systematic promotion of opportunities for intercultural learning and interaction among schoolchildren from different communities. According to the Kosovo Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST), communities in a numerical minority were enrolled in pre-university education in the school year 2016/2017 in the following numbers: 3,634 Kosovo Ashkali (1,927 boys, 1,707 girls); 3,774 Kosovo Bosniaks (1,919 boys, 1,855 girls); 27 Kosovo Croats (13 boys, 14 girls); 817 Kosovo Egyptians (404 boys, 413 girls); 598 Kosovo Gorani (319 boys, 279 girls); 1,424 Kosovo Roma (746 boys, 678 girls); 2,573 Kosovo Turks (1,317 boys, 1,256 girls); 197 others (101 boys, 96 girls).3 According to figures provided by the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development (MESTD) School Administration based in Mitrovica/Mitrovicë North, Serbian curriculum schools were attended by approximately 18,300 pupils in 2015 – 13,500 pupils studying at primary level, and 4,800 in secondary schools.4 The most important development, in terms of education in Kosovo, in recent years was the approval of the Kosovo Education Strategic Plan (KESP) for the period 2017–2021 in December 2016.5 The plan incorporates community and gender perspectives into