Session Information
23 SES 07 C, Education Policies and Development (Part 1)
Paper Session to be continued in 23 SES 08 C
Contribution
This paper examines the policies governing Kosovo’s educational system particularly those intended to meet the complex demands of a divided society emerging from a state of war. The study reviews major events leading to the current status of the educational system, the policies established to address issues in a setting with a disputed history and present alternative policy options based on the current circumstances. To the degree possible, an assessment of on-the-ground realities of implementing current and proposed policies is undertaken.
Since Kosovo’s declaration of independence in 17 February 2008 it has been recognized by 112 countries. But Serbia, a combatant in the war, has not recognized the establishment of the state on land Serbia disputes, nor have supporters of the Serbian position such as Russia, China, much of South America and India as well as Spain recognized Kosovo. There are many causes identified as underlying the disputes regarding Kosovo’s existence as a state, including ethnic, religious, cultural and historical as well as current day issues of power and corruption. Education has become a focal point for both Kosovo’s future and the dispute. The paper attempts to unpack the major themes of both the challenges in education and disagreements as Kosovo looks to its future.
In the 2011-2016 Kosovo Education Strategic Plan (KESP) established eleven ambitious goals including achieving universal education, closer alignment between education and employment, and expanded provision of higher education through the establishment of the new public universities are promulgated by The Government of the Republic of Kosovo, Ministry of Education Science and Technology (MEST). These goals were established with support from the United Nations, European Union and the World Bank. From the World Bank’s (2015) analysis which indicates “Education is an essential part of Kosovo’s efforts to boost economic growth, increase productivity and wages, and reduce its high unemployment. Kosovo is a young country, with 38 percent of the population under 19 years of age (2012).”
Using data and reports from a variety of sources such as the United Nations, MEST, National Qualification Agency, as well as scholarly articles and reports from both Kosovo supporters and critics form the basis of the review of the success of the government to attain its proposed goals. Beyond the proposed goals, critical issues such as the integration of minorities and assuring the education of women will be examined. Of particular interest is the integration of Serbian Kosovo communities into the Republic of Kosovo.
Additional analysis will be undertaken to determine the initial commitment to support the Kosovo government has been maintained by international agencies to meet goals such as increasing the number of public school opportunities or options at the post-secondary level. This is particularly challenging given a per capita GDP estimates of close to €3,000, Kosovo is one of the poorest countries in Europe. Thirty percent of its population is considered poor; extreme poverty is disproportionately high among children, the elderly, households with disabled members, female-headed households, and certain ethnic minority households. There is a strong negative correlation between education and poverty. Now almost twenty years after the end of the conflict Kosovo has a number of areas of progress and is moving toward substantial development, but years of neglect and mismanagement remain difficult to surmount.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Caulley, D. N. (1983). Document analysis in program evaluation. Evaluation and Program Planning: An International Journal, 6(1), 19-29. Charmaz, K. (2006). Constructing grounded theory. London; Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Cooper, B. S., Fusarelli, L. D., & Randall, E. V. (2004). Better policies, better schools: Theories and applications. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. Kostovicova, D. (2005) Kosovo: The Politics of Identity and Space. London: Routledge. Kosovo Strategic Education Plan. (2010). 2011-2016, Ministry of Education Science and Technology Perez, A. & Delahunty, R. (2009)The Kosovo Crisis: A Dostoievskian Dialogue on International Law, Statecraft, and Soulcraft,42 VAND. J. TRANSNAT’L L. 15. The World Bank Group in Kosovo: County Snapshot. (2015). World Bank
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