UNMIK/PR/639
PRESS RELEASE - 5 September 2001

Education Reform Package Presented to KTC

Pristina - the Department of Education and Science Co-Head Michael Daxner presented the plans for the future of education in Kosovo to the KTC today.

The package of reforms, which are outlined in the draft Regulation on Higher Education and the draft Regulation on Primary and Secondary Education are ready to be put in place, according to Daxner.  Both regulations will be signed into law before the elections in November.

The reforms reflected in the two pending regulations will begin the process of bringing Kosovo's education system in line with European standards.  Other reforms will set out to democratize the educational system in Kosovo.

Within higher education, the regulation calls for:  aligning Kosovo's higher education with European standards; securing fundamental rights, academic freedoms and institutional autonomy; preserving the equality of individuals from all communities in Kosovo and setting out governmental responsibility to plan and fund higher education.

With regard to primary and secondary education the main aims will be to:  introduce advanced European standards through curriculum reform; provide a clear distribution of responsibilities for education on all administrative and political levels; give well defined rights and duties to teachers, pupils, parents and administrators; foster parent and community participation through school boards and provide for special care and integration of children with special education needs.

Daxner criticized communities for not providing appropriate education opportunities to disabled and disadvantaged children, adding that they are often kept hidden at home.  He also remarked that females were heavily discriminated against, often pulled from school to look after younger siblings and denied chances.  "No flag can cover this shame," he stated.

To help manage Kosovo's new educational system, an Education Management Information System (EMIS) is being developed with assistance from the World Bank.  The EMIS, which will create and manages a database of student and teachers in all the schools in Kosovo, will be essential for decision making and day-to-day administration of schools.  By covering sex, age, ethnic group and teacher-pupil ratio, the EMIS will be able to collect, collate and analyze information for the whole of Kosovo.