No private university has met the terms for accreditation

In Kosovo, 30 institutions of higher education operate. Of this number, nine are accredited in various regions of the country as public universities, while 21 are private colleges and no private university.

Accreditation is a formal and transparent procedure of quality control, during which an independent body confirms on the basis of internationally recognised standards, if higher education institutions, respectively, meet minimum quality requirements.

Blerim Rexha, chairman of the State Council of Quality, the council that functions as the governing body of the Kosovo Agency for Accreditation, tells Radio Free Europe that accreditation is a ongoing process, but until now he says, no private college of higher education has managed to get the university title.

However, we expect some of these institutions, in the years to come, to devote themselves and strengthen their energy and achieve the right conditions so that perhaps in the near future they will also receive the university title”, Rexha said.

It shows what criteria needed for accreditation as private universities have not met the colleges operating in the country.

The fundamental neuroscientist is to have doctoral studies and for these studies, colleges must first complete master-level studies, which require scientific and creative components”.

And then, this scientific creative component deepens into doctoral studies. Here are institutions of private higher education in Kosovo, as well as some publicos”, Rexha says.

On the other hand, experts on education issues say the quality of education has been consistently assessed below the right level, and therefore private colleges cannot be accredited as universities.

They even say that in Kosovo the number of private colleges should be reduced.

Halim Hyseni, from the Centre for Advanced Education System Performance, says that higher education in the Kosovo market is entirely disturbed because of the low quality and large number of colleges and students registered in them.

He praised the main goal of operating private colleges in Kosovo is benefit rather than education.

There are no qualities in private universities or public ones. And there needs to be a radical change in policy development in the field of education, of which higher education should be part.

“Treating the division of pre-university education and higher education has created a chaotic state that is not allowing us to have a vision in what direction Kosovo's education development should go to”, Hyseni told Radio Free Europe.

Otherwise, accreditation in the field of higher education offers society and all groups involved in interest, assurance that the quality of teaching and study met minimum international standards.