OSCE Mission report assesses access of communities to pre-university education in Kosovo

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 18 December 2018 – The OSCE Mission in Kosovo published today a report which assesses the access to pre-university education for non-majority communities in Kosovo. The report, Communities’ Access to Pre-University Education in Kosovo, covers the period from 2014 to 2017 and looks into the provision of education in the majority and community languages.

The report notes that institutions generally provide communities with an adequate level of support in accessing education. However, it concludes that a sustainable solution for the provision of Serbian-language education, in line with the legal provisions that provide the basis for education in this language, is yet to be found. The report commends the support provided by institutions to communities to enable easier access to education, such as transport, scholarships and catch-up classes. Curricula in Bosnian and Turkish languages have been developed, although additional efforts are needed to complete their implementation, and the existence of a Romani language subject with elements of history and culture is commended.

“For non-majority communities, the right to education has deep meaning and multi-layered significance. It is intrinsically linked to a community’s language and identity. Education for non-majority communities is therefore about the effective inclusion of their linguistic and cultural identities into the formal education curricula,” said Ambassador Jan Braathu, the Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo. “The Kosovo legislation incorporates international human rights concepts linked to education. This includes education in the language of choice and institutional measures that provide equal access to education for all. These are the main topics of the report we are launching today.”

Challenges, however, remain. The provision of textbooks in the Bosnian and Turkish languages remains uneven. The lack of organized transport for students from non-majority communities at the municipal level remains an issue in some municipalities, and specific textbooks for learning the Albanian language for students following the Bosnian and Turkish language curricula are yet to be developed. A mutually accepted solution for Serbian-language education does still not exist, despite advanced Kosovo-law provisions providing for it. Interaction among children and staff from the two systems is also limited.

The report recommends that institutions take steps towards addressing these challenges over the coming period, and enhance their engagement in the promotion of inter-community dialogue in education. This could be done through the approval and implementation of the ‘Guidelines for the promotion of inter-community dialogue through education’.

The full report is available here: https://www.osce.org/mission-in-kosovo/406952