November 1, 2017 | Wednesday
The EU Information and Cultural Centre in Pristina organized a panel discussion Higher Education in Kosovo: Key Challenges and the Way Forward, as part of its monthly campaign on the topic of education.
Riccardo Serri, Head of Political, Economic and EU Integration Section, EU Office in Kosovo/EU Special Representative, speaker at the panel, discussed about the main EU priorities with an aim to help advance the educational system in Kosovo. According to Serri, the new law on higher education and an increase of investments in research and innovation sector should have a positive impact on the improvement of the higher education system.
Rron Gjinovci, director of ORCA talked about the importance of academic integrity and advancement in higher education, considering it as the most important part of the educational system.
“Through good and prepared teachers we can contribute to solving of so many other issues in the system,” said Gjinovci.
The debate continued with the presentation of the Vice Rector for Scientific Research at the University of Pristina, Faton Berisha, who raised the concern of the budget and general investments in the innovation and research sector. “Together with our European partners we can do more regarding the financial aspects and help increase the sponsorship for innovation and research projects,” said Berisha.
Arben Dermaku, advisor to the Minister of Education, Science & Technology contributed to the debate by presenting the Ministry’s perspective on the higher education challenges. Dermaku considered the university system as important, but the pre-university system is determinant in overcoming the challenges in higher education. An interactive discussion with the audience followed the debate.
The EU Information and Cultural Centre organised two information sessions on the EU higher education mobility Erasmus + programme for the audience ofinterested Kosovo students.. The Erasmus + Programme (European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) is a European Union programme established in 1987 that supports youth education, training and sports through the funding of projects, programs and scholarships. Kosovo is a partner country of this programme since 2014, and the first Erasmus + scholarship in the country was financed in 2015. The platform, which will donate 135,000 scholarships to partner countries, will be accessible to students and academic staff until 2020.
Informative sessions about the Erasmus + Programme were held in both EUICC centres. Blerinë Zjaqa, from the Erasmus + Office in Kosovo, informed participants in EUICC Pristina about the opportunities offered by the “International Credit Mobility” programme, for short term exchange and the full-time scholarships in the European Union countries through the “Joint Master Degrees” programme, and provided details on the expenses covered by the programme. The studies supported by this platform are for all levels of study, bachelor, master and doctoral degrees.
The EU Information and Cultural Centre in North Mitrovica organized an info session to mark the 30th anniversary of this programme with the Acting Coordinator for the Erasmus + Kosovo Office, Goran Lazić and Erasmus+ alumni, Aleksandra Radulović and Dejan Filipović. Both info sessions held in Pristina and Mitrovica North provided further details and advice about the application process, as well as criteria of eligibility, average grades of candidates, experience, language skills, necessary documentation, and the importance of complying with application deadlines.