Unmik on Air

American Center of Kosovo

13^th of January 2004

(by Gezim Kasapolli)

The 21^st century for Kosovans is considered to be a time of change in all the fields of life. Change, sometimes tends to be faced with fear and other times it’s difficult to be achieved, but when it comes to Kosovo change is a must.

Kosovo’s standards have been launched and everyone, on all levels, has agreed on the vital need for them to be achieved and in order for this to happen changes will take place.

Most Kosovans agree that these changes must occur starting from the very core of the society and that is through educating the younger generations.

Hello and welcome to UNMIK on AIR

Building the basis for a proper democratic and stabile society has proven to be a major task for all ex-communist and especially post-conflict countries. Unfortunately, Kosovo’s society has to deal with that mission now and help is more then necessary.

The American Center for Kosovo opened it’s doors to students two months ago although it’s been providing services for the past three years now. The Center originally started its work offering small services for students, like information about scholarships, taking Toeffel and SAT examination among other services; but now it has grown to be a very functional institution, equipped with all the necessary facilities based on American standards and demands.

In this center one can find a small American library called “American corners” and a so-called “technology room”, where students can prepare themselves for their exams and get more acquainted with studies in the US; American culture, political situation, democracy and of course American values.

Ibrahim Gashi, the director of the American Center of Kosovo told us that creating such a center was a very important step towards building human capacities, so much in demand in Kosovo. He claims that people are aware of the importance of this center and although most cultural institutions lack financing this is not the case with this center.

Ibrahim Gashi: Our programs are financed by the American government, while this center was created as cooperation between Kosovan and American institutions with the aim to create a center that would enable a greater and better American presence here in Kosovo.

Many young Kosovans see this center as a place where they are a step closer to the opportunity of studying in an American university. But the road to getting there is not that simple. Berat Gashi, a student from Pristina says that in order to do that a student must be eligible for a scholarship and knowledge of the English language is not enough, he says, one must pass other tests besides TOEFL.

Berat Gashi: there are possibilities but one has to pass different tests such as SAT and SAT2, which can help in obtaining a scholarship. This enables you to study anywhere in the US, although we know that all schools in US - private and state are very expensive for our standards and they range from 15.000 to 45.000$ a year, so it is almost impossible for us to go there without a scholarship. Anyone can apply but it is necessary to have a good score in SAT and good results in high school.

According to Ibrahim Gashi until now most of the students from Kosovo have been eligible for financial assistance from American schools and universities. Ibrahim adds that the reason for this assistance is the fact that Americans Institutions are very familiar with the situation in Kosovo and the problems and difficulties that Kosovans are facing since the 1999 conflict.

Ibrahim Gashi: A different aspect that Americans consider is the so-called need-based assistance and Kosovars usually qualify for a such an assistance, because of the circumstances, considering the recent conflict and the conditions in which Kosovans study, that is difficult economic conditions. These facts are always taken into consideration so Kosovans are always treated as candidates in need of financial assistance.

Although, presently, the education system in Kosovo is going through several reforms Berat says that this is not enough and this is one of the main reasons why he is trying to continue his studies in the US also. He believes the system still suffers the consequences of the previous communist regime.

Berat Gashi: This is very simple. Our way of studying still contains the communist educational spirit. There are some good young professors -and I do not mean to insult old professors- but these mentioned reforms couldn’t be applied and the reason is obvious. The professors who are 70 years old should retire; but they cannot do that because their pension is a meager 35 euros and they can’t even afford to buy medicine, let alone other things.

Most of the prospect students prefer to specialize their studies in fields that are, so-called trendy, such as political sciences and international relations although they also choose business, marketing and banking. Ibrahim Gashi is very pleased with the results achieved during the past three years and adds that this success has motivated him in creating even more possibilities for young Kosovans

Ibrahim Gashi: we have a very ambitious plan for this year. Besides our normal services we are in the process of creating a fund that is called the Fund for Kosovan-American Exchange and we will be able to give scholarships through this Center. The Scholarships will be given to those students who are already admitted in an American university and who already have some financial assistance or a partial scholarship. We will assist them in cases where their scholarships do not cover all their expenses.

The majority of students applying to study in the US are Kosovo Albanians, but there are also cases of students of other nationalities that acquire services offered by this center. Although, this was difficult in the beginning the Center remained open minded and willing to support all Kosovans, no matter what ethnicity, says Ibrahim.

Ibrahim Gashi: There are Bosnians and Serbs who managed to study abroad through this Center. There are many who come here directly. Initially during the first year they came with an escort, but for two years now they are coming unescorted, on their own. They call first, set up a meeting and they receive all the necessary advices. It’s not a large number but there are several cases.

Getting a proper education is the dream of so many young Kosovans and many have achieved their goal with the assistance of the American Center of Kosovo. But passing all the necessary exams and finding a scholarship is just the beggining – this is only the first step towards fulfilling their goal.

The next step is obtaining a student-visa, and this may prove to be the most difficult step, where many students lost their life opportunity to study in America. And now with all the obstacles and visa restrictions applied by the US government the dream of studying in the US maybe further away; but this will be subject of another upcoming UNMIK on Air.

Meanwhile Thanks for listening and stay tuned for more.