Private Universities in
Kosovo
By Gezim Kasapolli
The
introduction of Private Universities in Kosovo was a matter of considerable
debate after the 1999 Conflict. During Kosovo’s former communist rule, private universities
were taboo. Since the United Nations Mission assumed administrative control of
Kosovo, the educational opportunities have opened up, creating competition in
the academic marketplace.
Supporters
of Pristina University have criticized this new academic competition – lobbying
Kosovo decision-makers to refuse academic accreditation. Their argument:
private institutions fail to meet Western European educational standards.
But in 2004, four private universities were licensed by Kosovo’s Ministry of Education. The Vienna-based University for Business and Technology or UBT was one of them. UBT represents a rare example in Kosovo of an institution that fulfills the ISO or International Organization of Standardization’s academic criteria. ISO 9001, as it is known, assures western European quality management. UBT Director, Dr. Edmond Hajrizi.
Hajrizi
“15 We have implemented modern educational methods and management philosophies associated with institutions of higher learning. We have already included ISO 9001 which is an recent criteria mandate. ISO 9001 is a method and standard for system management lacking at Pristina University, although it probably is lacking in almost all of the Universities in the region.”
One of the main advantages of this university is the fact that most of the lecturers come from western European and United States universities. Students are exposed to a mixture of experience and knowledge coming from the most developed countries in the world. This says Hajrizi will enable UBT’s Kosovo-based students to deal with global advances in the fields of economy and technology.
Hajrizi
“We consider our university as a point of reference for international quality in Kosovo and now locals have the opportunity to compare, which was not the case until now. They can now see what is very good, what is good and what is intermediate. This then creates new needs, demands and requests that will force every institution of higher learning to work with a different quality.”
Sound of the class
The students of UBT are
not shy about what they say is an expansion of their future job prospects
because of the university’s curriculum. Shukri Mustafa is a student currently
working at Reiffeisen bank in Pristina.
Mustafa
“Today all things are going towards globalization. This
certificate is recognized by our Ministry and the University of Vienna
recognizes it. If this diploma is recognized then it will be much easier to
work in other countries and in different companies that offer job
opportunities.
Bujar Abdullahu is a University for Business and Technology student, currently working with Kosovo’s Ministry of
Economy and Finance. Although he is preparing his masters dissertation at
Pristina University in Business - he joined the UBT program. According to
Abdullahu, Kosovo’s future is linked with subsequent generations exposing
themselves to modern educational methods.
Abdullahu
“ Although we are in the initial stages of the third level of education, the old saying “you can tell a good day judging from the morning” makes me believe that UBT’s educational methods are more then necessary for Kosovo. We are the second generation since communism, but after the 4th or 5th generation we will get a number of students versed in this type of learning which is more than needed for Kosovo.
But, what about all the
students of Pristina University who cannot afford to join such programs? A
majority of students are prevented from joining private learning faculties
because they are more concerned with basic survival needs – unemployment hovers
around 60% here in Kosovo.
Muhamet Balaj is a student
of Pristina University’s Economic Faculty. He says that without affordable access
to a proper education, poorer students’ rights are being neglected.
Balaj
“Our rights are no taken into consideration in relations between students and professors and recently we had a case with one of the professors whose name is not relevant to mention here…well, we were barely given an opportunity to see copies of our tests. When we saw them - it showed that the tests were checked randomly without any proper evaluation of the students’ real knowledge.”
Reiterating Balaj’s
concerns, an English Language student at Pristina University, Avni Ademi says –
a change in university personnel is implied if Kosovo’s educational reforms are
to approach western European standards.
Ademi
“ We are in a transition period at our University, that is we are somewhere between new reforms and the old way of studying. We are stuck and we cannot define what we are doing today. Some professors work and test students in the old way while some are trying to implement a new system, however the question is how much they can succeed.”
Although critics accuse
Pristina University professors and representatives of the Ministry of education
of being at the core of the academic debate, representatives from either group
failed to make their case and respond to the concerns of their students.
Stay tuned to UN Radio in
Kosovo as we explore Kosovo’s educational reform in the months to come. Thank
you for listening.