University Education in Kosovo

Struggle for Lost Lessons

AIM Pristina, 18 September, 1999

After much uncertainty, this September, a new school year has begun in elementary and secondary schools in Kosovo, but also at the University in Pristina. But, nothing is like before. Children of Albanian ethnic origin are sitting nowadays in classrooms all around towns in Kosovo. In villages which were badly demolished by Serbian armed forces, schools and other buildings are awaiting reconstruction or removal of mines. Children of Serb ethnic origin have begun school in the regions of Kosovo where Serb population is concentrated. A great problem is, however, the beginning of school for secondary school students because there are no adequate premises for them in villages. That is why some buildings of elementary schools will be adapted for teaching secondary school students. University teaching is the greatest problem. How will the students complete this year of their studies or even begin it for that matter?

The government of Serbia believes that teaching and examinations could be organised in the enviroments where Serb population is concentrated, primarily in Zubin potok which is near Raska. For many students who are not in Kosovo at this moment this would probably be the safest destination, and it would enable Serbian government to claim that life continued "normally" in Kosovo. Indeed, Serbian public has already been informed that a considerable number of students and professors have returned to the University in Pristina, that exams are held and that preparations are being made for the beginning of the teaching process. The regime claims that it is not true that none of professors and students of Serb ethnic origin are at the University in Pristina as a part of the press in Serbia writes. The truth may be bitter, but only ethnic Albanian students can be seen in the building of this university.

After nine years, on 2 August they have entered their amphitheatres and classrooms again. The teaching process used to take place in the worst possible conditions - in private houses and cellars, in billiard-rooms, tea houses... mostly in the poorest suburban parts of Pristina. Creation of the parallel education system was the result of introduction of stopgap measures at the University by the Assembly of Serbia, on St. Vitus' Day (and the anniversary of the 1389 battle of Kosovo), 28 June, 1991. The agreement signed on 1 September, 1996, by the then president of Serbia Slobodan Milosevic and political leader of Kosovo Albanians Ibrahim Rugova, has never been implemented. Just before NATO intervention in Yugoslavia, ethnic Albanian students were permitted to use the premises of the technical and economic faculty, of Law School and premises of the Academy of Arts. Their full return to the buildings of the University took place only after withdrawal of Serbian and entrance of international forces to Kosovo, when most of the students and professors of Serb ethnic origin had left the University.

The heads of the University of Albanian students decided in the meantime to catch up on all the lessons that were missed - and not only that. Students continued going to lectures and classes that had been interrupted due to the known situation. The opening ceremony at the University took place after all the insignia and monuments erected in front of the University buildings in the course of the ten-year Serb rule had been removed: 2 July, the date when in 1990 Kosovo Albanians proclaimed independence was the occasion for the students and wrathful citizens to tear down all the busts and other symbols the previous administration had put up.

The new academic school year is expected to begin in the end of October or the beginning of November. It still is not quite clear, however, how teaching in Serbian language will be organised and who the administration of the University will be. Representatives of UN Mission in Kosovo have not reached a solution even after a few weeks of discussions and consultations. Person responsible for education in UNMIK, Ramaochadran, says that teaching has started at faculties in order to complete the academic 1998/99 school year, noting that it should be completed in six weeks.

On the other hand, UNMIK demands that University be an open and democratic institution where everybody would study, regardless of their ethnic origin. "All the communities should share buildings that belong to them, with no segragation", declared Nadia Junis, spokesman of UN Mission in Kosovo, and confirmed that there was a concrete proposal for resolving the question of the University in Pristina. Director for administration and civilian affairs of UNMIK, Gerald Fisher, sent a letter to the Albanian and the Serb heads of the University, to Zenelj Keljmendi and Jagos Zelenovic, saying among other that there would be no parallel universities in Kosovo, or that "UNMIK has decided that the University in Pristina operate as a united institution".

Vice-chancellor of the Albanian students, Ahmet Gecaj, says that the University is free, democratic, autonomous and open for Serb students and representatives of other ethnic communities. "If there are candidates who wish to study and if they meet the requirements, there is no reason not to organise the teaching process in Serbian language", Gecaj said. On the other hand, the head of the University, Prof. Dr. Zenelj Keljmendi does not wish to have such questions raised. "It is absurd to discuss such issues when everybody knows that with all its documents, the University in Pristina had proved its choice to be open, free and and that it keeps step with the modern world".

Nevertheless, leader of the Serb Resistance Movement Momcilo Trajkovic warned on several occasions that there were no Serb students who would attend lectures. So far nobody can estimate whether there are any, and if there are, how many of Serb students would actually like to continue their studies in Kosovo. Before NATO campaign against Yugoslavia, Serb officials claimed that 17 thousand students studied at the University in Pristina. The biggest number of them were not from Kosovo. However, in UNMIK they say that "they too will be welcome". The Albanians claim that before 24 March 1999 17 thousand students attended (parallel) university lectures. Vice-chancellor Gecaj, however, declares that there are about 10 thousand of them at the moment.

But, the problem of Pristina University is still at the very beginning of the search for its solution. They are resolute in UNMIK not to permit segregation. In the beginning they suggested that the chancellor be a representative of the international community and that the Albanian and the Serb chancellors acquire the status of vice-chancellors. This idea was rejected by the Albanian party. The only remaining option for UNMIK is to establish temporary administration, which would be, as Mark Richmond, UNMIK official, declared, the highest authority at the University.

While talks about the best solution for this problem continue and the students are catching up on lessons they have missed, the Albanian administration still "come to work" to privately owned premises where the teaching process had taken place in previous years, frustrated because they are unable to do anything to change this situation. The official administration building of the University is guarded by international forces. Chancellor Keljmendi comments on this fact as "absurd and nonsensical". Discontent among Albanian professor is also growing because for several months they have not received any pay (Austrian Foundation WUS assigned them 200 German marks each as aid, and they receive packages of humanitarian aid). UNMIK is still silent.

It was only made public that UNMIK has planned three phases of development of teaching at the University in Pristina. The first phase is "improvisation", which will last until the beginning of the new academic year. In the second, the transitional phase, which will last between six and nine months, the University will be under jurisdiction of UNMIK, while the third phase implies establishment of the education system in Kosovo in which UNMIK will transform from the decision-maker into an advisory body. However, it is assessed that putting this plan into operation will not go smoothly either. First, one cannot disregard the resistance to reforms at the University planned by UNMIK which might encroach upon certain "privileges" of the teaching staff, even loss of jobs. There is also resistance of the old teaching staff to any form of modernisation of the teaching and scientific process. Such resistance could be expected from "political structures" as well, those who look upon the University as one of the possible pillars of support for implementation of their political projects, which happened quite often in the past.

Changes and pacification of the political climate are evidently the imperative and the necessary condition for the beginning of normal operation of the university. Until then Albanian students will struggle to catch up on the "missed lessons", and Serb students will wait for the change of climate. Or they might try to enroll at some other university.

AIM Pristina

Besim Abazi