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Higher Education in Kosovo

Overview of the Higher Education System in Kosovo

This article provides an overview of the Higher Education System in Kosovo (see figure 1) which consists of four types of the programs namely: Public,Private, Vocational/Technical Education, and Collaborative/International Programs.

Overview of Higher Education Legislation Framework

According to National Qualification Authority ; the Higher Education system in Kosovo is regulated by the Law of Higher Education under the Law No. 04/L-037 which was approved in August 2011 and it was based on the Higher Education Strategy 2005-2015. The Law of Higher Education’s goal is “to establish, develop, protect, and transmit knowledge through teaching and scientific work and research” . Based on the report of the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency , after the first phase had been established, it followed up with the second stage of the Strategy for the development of Higher Education 2010-2015. On this stage, it is highlighted the importance of establishing the quality assurance system and promotion of an all-inclusive education policy and the Ministry of Education Science and Technology . It is also developed the action plan for education for the period of 2011-2016. According to Kosovo Education Strategic Plan (KESP) , the Government of Kosovo is currently restructuring the systems by decentralizing its service delivery. In November 2008, the newly formed National Qualifications Authority (NQA) regulating the accreditation process of Institutions - the Kosovo Qualifications Framework Act as the legal foundation for the Law on National Qualifications.

The system of higher education in Kosovo for getting admission, there are two evaluations must be met for admission to Higher Education – the internal evaluation (secondary school) and the other is the external evaluation (State Matura exam) which partly regulated by the new established Law (2008/03/L-018)- the Law on Final Examinations and State Matura Examination which is carried out in full compliance with European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) by its own standards and guidelines set for the internal and external evaluation .

The development of Kosovo higher education accreditation process, according to NAQ , there are two Accreditation Agencies that are licensed to issue certification to become a qualified higher education institutions and to be able to offer higher education programs, namely: the Kosovo Accreditation Agency (KAA) and Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) both of which are in full compliance as well with the ENQA standards. This aligned to Kosovo Education Strategic Plan KESP to be one of the main programs objectives is “to develop quality academic and professional higher and tertiary education and research supporting social and economic development” (p. 47).

Overview of Structure of the Higher Education System in Kosovo

The system of higher education in Kosovo, based on the report of NQA is comprised of public universities and private higher education institutions (colleges, institutes, higher professional schools) and must be licensed by MEST . In the report of NQA mentioned about obtaining a license for any educational and/or training institution particularly for private higher education institutions from the Ministry of Education. In addition, the municipality will provide for a business license as well as for ensuring for quality assurance responsibilities. In report from Kosovo Education Strategic Plan that although the Higher Education Institutes in Kosovo is not a member of Bologna Process, all Higher Education Institutions follows the guidelines of Bologna process of its European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) except the American University of Kosovo.

The education system in Kosovo, studies are organized by the Law No. 04/L037 on Higher Education of the Republic of Kosovo and the implementation of ECTS follows the Al NO. 12/2008 . The programs are arranged according to this Higher Education Law as follows: The first cycle is Bachelor program usually last between 3 and 4 years (180-240 ECTS credits) which requires 70% of the ECTS credits and the remaining is comprised of 30% electives with some exceptions in medicine, veterinary science or in education. The second cycle is Master programs which requires 30 ECTS credit points of a Master thesis and usually takes 2 years (120 ECTS credits) or 1 year (60 ECTS credits) provided that a student completed 4 years of Bachelor program. Both Bachelor and Master programs a thesis is mandatory. The third cycle is the doctorate programs. This comprised of studies with academic and independent scientific research endeavor (NAQ, 2014). The other higher education institutions offer extended vocational diplomas usually it takes at least 2 to 3 years of school training.

Private Universities in Kosovo

Kosovo is one of the regions in central Europe that higher education is fast growing. It has the youngest youth population in Europe and operates on a model of development, inclusiveness, policy, and quality assurance in education. Higher education in Kosovo is provided both by the public and private educational sectors. With the private higher educational institutions much more in numbers and also has international cooperation like the American university of Kosovo which collaborate with the university of Rochester in the United States. The national Quality Agency and the Kosovo Accreditation Agency are the primary institution that supervise and license private and public education sector in Kosovo. A law that was passed in 2004 requires that all universities both public and private should ensure that educational standards are in accordance with the Bologna declaration. Along with accreditation this process has boost educational practices in Kosovo. Although Kosovo higher educational system with the introduction of the Bologna declaration tend to require strict compliance to the Bologna declaration, it is important to note it is not a signatory member of the Bologna declaration.

Listing of Private Universities

As stated before private institutions are more in Kosovo, therefore provides majority of higher education. While the exact number is not clear according to several pieces of literature, the private higher education and universities in Kosovo are:

               Pbhe College Aab

               Pbhe American College Auk

               Pbhe College Biznesi

               Bphe Eada

               Pbhe European College Of Kosovo

               Pbhe College Dardania

               Pbhe College Eslg 

               PbheCollege Dukagjini

               Pbhe Hps Design Factory

               Pbhe Evolucion Academy

               Pbhe CollegeFama

               Pbhe College Gjilani

               Pbhe College Globus

               Pbhe College Humanistica

               PbheCollege Iliria

               Pbhe Hps Qeap Heimerer

               Pbhe International Pz 

               Pbhe Ibcm

               PbheCollege Ispe

               Pbhe College Juridica

               Pbhe College Pjeter Budi

               Pbhe CollegeRiinvest

               Prbhe Rezonanca

               Pbhe College Tempulli

               Pbhe College Universum

               PbheCollege Victory

               Pbhe College Universi

               Pbhe College Ubt

               Prbhe Vizioni PerArsim

               Pbhe Aab Riinvest

               Qapa

               Prbhe A Design

               Prbhe Akademia E Arteve

               Prbhe Biomedica

               Prbhe European In Prishtina

               Prbhe Prizreni

               PrbheProfesional

               Prbhe Unimedica

               Prbhe Unipz    

Funding

Private universities and institutions in Kosovo fund themselves mainly through student tuition and other fees. Although the new law in Kosovo is planning to include Kosovo private universities in the State budget to receive some state funding.

Accreditation

Accreditation is a formal process of quality control in which an assign agency or body saddled with the responsibility of ensuring efficiency and institutional standard examines and evaluates institution programs to ensure that quality requirement is maintained in educational activities. In Kosovo, the Kosovo Accreditation agency (KAA1) is the primary body that accredits private institutions of higher learning in Kosovo. It started its work in 2008, and ensures both public and private institution confirm to best practices that meets European standard of higher learning. Emphasis is placed on quality of institutions and their programs at all stages. All documents of accreditation standard and procedure are made public by KAA. This is important for all educational stakeholders in the private sector to become abreast with the process, it also creates room for fairness and openness of the standard evaluation process.

Public Universities in Kosovo

Kosovo has a commitment to providing quality higher education. As mentioned earlier, Kosovo has a young population, the youngest population in Europe. Around half the population is younger than 25 years old and about 70% younger than 30 . Kosovo has both public and private institutions that provide quality education to the population. There are 24 active licensed private providers of Higher education in Kosovo. Of these, 10 are licensed as universities and the rest of them are licensed as colleges, schools, faculties, institutes and academies. While there are only three public institutions. Public institutions in Kosovo are created and funded by the Government. The academic year is typically two semesters. At the University of Prishtina a semester lasts 15 weeks with exams in January, June and September. The title, or distinction, of university is granted to institutions that provide degrees up to a doctorate level and have, at a minimum, five different departments and no less than 3,000 students.

Funding

Funding public institutions in Kosovo is regulated in accordance with the Law on Higher Education. Public institutions can receive funding through allocations from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the Council for Research, tuition and fees paid by students, income from commercial services, donations, gifts and endowments, contracts with local, private, public or international bodies involved in education, research and consulting.

Accreditation

Accreditation the same for public institutions as it is for private. The Kosovo Accrediting Association (KAA) is an independent group that reports back to the Ministry of Education accessing quality of higher education in Kosovo. The KAA provides audits of the universities and will give them assessments and suggestions for modification. Just like in other countries, the accreditation team can revoke licenses of institutions. The KAA is there to ensure European standards and ensure improvements and increase quality of education in Kosovo.

Admissions

Admission to a University in Kosovo requires passing the Matura exam. If a student doesn’t pass this exam they don’t receive their high school certificate. For the Bachelor and Master levels ether is a selection process held every year. At the Doctorate level there is a recruitment process based on scores from a competitive exam.

Vocational and Technical Education in Kosovo

Vocational Education and Adult Education refers to two programs in the Republic of Kosovo. Vocational Education is an existing program that provides secondary school students with workforce skill but does not lead to high school equivalency. Adult education, sometimes referred to as Workforce Education, is a work-in-progress. Laws authorizing the planning of such a program went into effect in 2013.

Vocational Education:

The Provisional Institutions of Self-Government, drafted by the United Nations and the Republic of Kosovo in 2001 established Law 02-L42 to regulate a formal system of vocational education and training in the country. Programs delivered by this system were to be financed by the Kosovo consolidated government. Additional funding is now provided through donations, gifts, endowments, and grant. The purpose of establishing VETs, as they are known, was to optimize “the use of financial, human, and infrastructure resources during the transition to a market economy”.

Law 02-L42 lays the ground rules for assessment and student achievement, code of conduct, budgeting, curricula and other professional standards.

Vocational programs are part of the secondary school system. They may be provided by schools, specialized technical schools or private providers licensed by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. All programs were meant to require career education and guidance. This remains part of the program’s strategic plan.

The Vocational Education- restructured in 2006- is available students between the ages of 15-18 years, and is divided into several stages. The first stage is divided into two parts. The first part involves upper general secondary education, and the second part involves vocational education.

The current structure of Vocational Education is divided in three levels. Each level offers a different qualification:

Level One: Two year vocational education programs for students in grades 10-13. If evaluation criteria are met, student is issued certificate of semi-qualified worker. The student can then enter the workforce or attempt another level of Vocational Education.

Level Two: is also for grades 10-12. Evaluation for this component requires both an exam and a practicum evaluation. If evaluation criteria are met, student is issued certificate of semi-qualified worker. The student can then enter the workforce or attempt another level of Vocational Education.

Level Thee: For students in grades 10-13. Students submit to both internal (school-based) and external evaluations.

All Vocational Education certificates lead directly to the workforce, and are not the equivalent to a United States high school diploma. Class 13 can be used towards entering an institute of higher education.

Because secondary school leavers often decide to enroll in Vocational Programs only after failing to enroll the general secondary schools/gymnasiums, Vocational programs are often perceived as being “second choice”.

Adult/ Workforce Education:

Adult education in Kosovo refers to formal, non-formal and informal education and training.

Immediately following the war in 2000, the Department of Labor and Training began offering courses at training centers throughout Kosovo. The most popular courses of study were in computers and English.

In 2013, Kosovo began the strategic planning process to develop 38 career guidance centers, one in each of the main municipalities. The Vocational- Technical Division of the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare is responsible for developing a vocational training network in Kosovo. This network will be comprised of eight vocational training centers and six mobile centers. The intent of the program is to create community-based centers of learning that will be responsive to the country’s developing workforce needs. It is hoped that the plan will be particularly advantageous to the “well-being of the family, particular emphasis will continue to be placed on the learning needs of women and minority groups” and that participation in these programs will help to mitigate current gender inequalities in the workforce.

Planning and funding for Vocational Technical Centers in Kosovo is done with the support of the Danish Government, EU, ILO and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Since 2011, the primary donor for Adult Education has been the Luxembourg Cooperation, which has invested 5.6 million euros in the project.

Several challenges to the implementation of the Adult Learning Centers have been cited in the most recent Strategic Plan. These include: more attractive work opportunities outside of Kosovo and difficulties obtaining immigrations status for those wanting to come in. There has also been, in the past, a lack of human resources data making it difficult to determine exactly which trades are most in demand. The plan also speaks to lack of sustainable funding for the program. Plans to remedy these challenges include more focus on basic skills training for students who have “stopped out” of schooling for a number of years and expanding programs to update student’s existing skills.

One of the measures of success for Adult Education in Kosovo will be participating in the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) as an assessment tool. This is part of the Strategic Plan for 2016. The PIAAC measures literacy, reading components, numeracy, and problem solving and used to collect adult skills data in Europe, Asia, and Oceania.

References

Baketa, (2003) Overview of higher education and research system in the western Balkans.

Danuza,T., Gojani, A., Likaj, R., & hasangkekaj, M. (2011). Referencing report of Kosovo NQF for General Education, VET and Higher Education to EQF. Pristina. National Qualification Authority. Retrieved from: http://akk-ks.net/uploads/referencing_report_of_kosovo_nqf-_eqf%20(1).pdf 

Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). (2012). Higher Education in Kosovo. A Tempus study, No 9, EACEA, Brussels. Retrieved from: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/tempus/participating_countries/overview/kosovo_tempus_country_fiche_final.pdf

Employment Skills Observatory of Kosovo. (2004). Mainstreaming with Europe: An Adult Learning Strategy for Kosovo. Retrieved from: http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/untc/unpan018213.pdf

GAP Institute for Advanced Studies, (n.d.). A Review of Private Education in Kosovo. Prishinë, Kosovë. Retrieved from: http://www.institutigap.org/documents/78366_A%20Review%20of%20Private%20Higher%20Education%20in%20Kosovo.pdf

Hörner, W., Döbert, H., von Kopp, B., and Mitte, W. (2007). The Education Systems of Europe. Dordrect, Netherlands: Springer.

Kosovo Accreditation Agency. Retrieved from: http://www.akreditimi-ks.org/new/index.php/en/accreditation/private-institutions-m

Kosovo Accreditation Agency. Retrieved from: http://www.akreditimi-ks.org/new/index.php/en/accreditation/introduction/what-is-accreditation

Kosovo at a Glance: Education. Retrieved from: http://invest-ks.org/en/Education

Kosovo Education Strategic Plan. (2011-2016). Retrieved from:  http://www.entwicklung.at/uploads/media/2c__Kosovo_Education_Strategic_Plan__EN__FINAL_DRAFT.pdf

Retrieved from:  http://www.see-educoop.net/portal/id_kosovo.htm.

Ministry of Education, Science and Technology of Kosovo (MEST), Provision Institutions of Self-Government (PISG). (2002). The Law on higher education in Kosovo. Prishtina. UNMIK-PISG.

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. OCED Skills Surveys. Retrieved from: http://www.oecd.org/site/piaac/country-specific-material.htm

Republic of Kosovo, (2011). Official gazette of the Republic of Kosova: Law No.04/L-037 On higher education in the republic of Kosovo. No. 14., Prishinë, Kosovë Retrieved from: http://masht.rks-gov.net/uploads/2015/06/02-ligji-per-arsimin-e-larte-anglisht.pdf

Republic of Kosovo. (2013). Official Gazette on the Republic of Kosovo: Law NO. 04/L-143 On adults education and training in the Republic of Kosovo. Prishinë, Kosovë. Retrieved from: http://masht.rks-gov.net/uploads/2015/06/ligji-per-arsimin-dhe-aftesimin-per-te-rritur-ne-republiken-e-kosoves-2013-eng.pdf

Republic of Kosovo Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. (2011). Education Strategic Plan. Retrieved from: http://www.entwicklung.at/uploads/media/2c__Kosovo_Education_Strategic_Plan__EN__FINAL_DRAFT.pdf

Republic of Kosovo Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare. (2012). Vocational Education Strategy. Retrieved from: https://mpms.rks-gov.net/Portals/0/Aktiviteti%20javor/VT%20Strategy%20ENG%20final.pdf

United NationsInterim Administration Mission in Kosovo (2006). Provisional Institutions of Self Government. Retrieved from: http://www.kuvendikosoves.org/common/docs/ligjet/2006_02-L42_en.pdf

World Bank.(2006). Country Profile: Kosovo. Retrieved from: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTECAREGTOPEDUCATION/Resources/444607-1192636551820/4293995-1193243530233/CP_Kosovo_[revised].pdf

Other links

Beqiri, E. (2003). Reforming the study programs and curricula at the University of Prishtina from the perspective of the provisions of the Bologna process. Retrieved from: http://www.see-educoop.net/portal/id_kosovo.htm.

Ministry of Education, Science and Technology of Kosovo (MEST). (2004). The Strategy for development of higher education in Kosovo (2005-2015). Prishtina. Retrieved from: http://www.see-educoop.net/portal/id_kosovo.htm.