Tens of UPA programmes are endangered in the absence of academic staff

A large part of the programmes at Pristina University “Hasan Pristina” depend on foreign associates, as they lack regular professors. The situation in many of the programs is even deteriorating, as year after year there is a decline in the number of regular professors, and these programs are at risk of not being accredited in the future in the absence of regular academic staff.

The worst situation with regard to regular academic staff is at the Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary. While not endangered, neither do programs remain at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and the Faculty of Buildership and Architecture.

That these academic units have problems with the small number of regular professors has also been confirmed by the UPP reactor. While deans of some of the academic entities say that if the number of professors in those faculties is not added, there is danger that many programmes will not be recognised.

Currently, the University of Pristina has 143 research programmes, of them 65 in high school, 57 in master's studies, 17 in doctoral studies and 4 programmes in integrated studies. These programs include about 42,000 students and 900 members of regular academic staff, namely, 1 teacher for 47 students, but there are schools where this division is even more involveable and goes as far as teaching 140 students.

While October 31st was the last date when the UP, as well as other higher education institutions, the academic staff's declaration would have to be made.

According to Kosovo education issues connoisseurs, the lack of regular academic staff has resulted from the opening of many new programmes, as well as the lack of extraction of new academic quarts, while many professors have retired and many more will emerge in the years ahead.

Faculty of Arts from 34 programs that were once expected to drop to 12

Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Agim Selimi, has told “Zerin” that out of 79 regular professors the faculty had in last academic year has now dropped to about 70.
There are approximately 70 regular professors, while needs are greater. In our way of teaching is also individual, for example violins, pianos and others have individual hours, so in this respect we have a large number of professors, but it's not abundant”, Selimi has expressed.

The dean of the Faculty of Arts has further indicated that since 2013 they have not received regular professors, while there have been ongoing retired professors. He has said he expects some new professors to be accepted in the competition, which has recently opened.

Selimi has also said that in 2016 the number of programs has been 34, while until 2020, there is expected to be a fusion of certain programs and the number to drop to 12 sosh.

We've had a lot of programs, about 34 programs in 2016, when we've even been accredited. We've been trying to disassemble programs and we've reached 17 and I believe that with the new accreditation made in 2020 we have to switch to 12 programs and split these subprofiles. We are heading towards reduction, as a large number of professors” are being expressed for accredition.

According to him, in addition to retirement, there has been no chance of professors leaving for other reasons. Selimi has also said that certain directions at the arts faculty will not be able to be accredited in the future unless new professors are accepted.

Mechanical Engineering hosts professors for the doctorate program

The Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Ahmet Shala, has said that the current regular academic staff at this faculty totals 39 (29 professors and 10 assistants). That number, according to him, is minimal, while announcing that in September of next year, two more professors retire.

Shala hopes that in the upcoming competition, which will open within Pristina University, this faculty will be allowed to receive new staff.

We're actually covered by carriers, so we're at the minimum allowed, but by September 30th of next year, we're leaving two professors after retirement, but we expect that in the next competition we'll be able to get two more:x1> professors, Shala declared.

According to him, the problem of academic staff at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering would be resolved should the doctorate programme be accepted. However, he says that three more professors are needed to discredit this programme.

We've been trying to get three professors available for doctoral studies, but currently we can't, because we need them in other programs. So, from September of next year as faculty we're going to be minus five professors, two for these current programs and three we need for the doctorate program”, Shala stressed.

He has also made it known that in the recent contest this year, they have received a professor since in advance another professor has left office, having decided to leave Kosovo to live in another country.

We took one in the last competition after another professor, who was admitted two years ago, but decided to go out again”, finished dean Shala.

Two years later, some professors retire

Currently sufficient numbers of regular academic staff also have the Faculty of Buildership and Architecture, yet after two years several professors of this faculty will reach retirement age.

Dean of the Faculty of Construction and Architecture, Abdullah Zejnullahu, has said there is currently no danger of any faculty closing.

There is actually no danger of closing any programme, though we need more staff. Approximately the number of professors is the same as last year. We don't have a professor who retires in two years, while we're going to fill out the number”, he's been tracking Zeynep.

The FNA Dean has indicated that this faculty has received four new professors in the final competition, and he has also said there have been amendments to other professors.
Anyway, we hope that even in the future we will be able to get new staff, as we need more academic staff”, Zejnullahu has declared.

Rectorate: We are working on the establishment of the Pristina University academic reactor staff “Hasan Pristina” in a response to the newspaper “Zeri” has made it known that this university currently has accredited and in implementing 143 research programmes, of them 65 in top studies, 57 in master studies, 17 in doctoral studies and 4 programmes in integrated studies.

The reactor estimates that for now the number of academic staff -- those with a scientific degree in science -- is sufficient to cover the demand according to the Kosovo Agency for Accreditation, a science doctor for 60 ECTS credits.

Also in response to the Rectorate, it is said that to advance the quality and work of students with the University of Pristina works on the largest rise of academic staff both quality and quantum.

According to the University of Pristina Rectorate, in some academic entities the number of engaged academic staff is greater than the number of regular staff.
Some academic units remain weaker than others, such as: The Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary, and others”, says in response to the UPP Rectorate, where the poor situation at the arts faculty is also highlighted.

The recent open conferences for accepting new academic staff are assessed as opportunities for easing these shortages.

While accurate figures in the number of regular and engaged professors will be known after completing the competitions that have been opened on many programs in the UPP, “Zri” later writes.

In the next few days we will be able to give you more precise information, because the competition for academic staff is currently under way at the University of Pristina éhasan Pristina and data can be changed”, said further in response to the UPP reactor.

October 31st, deadline for staff statements

According to the Accreditation Agency, the institutions of higher education are obliged to make the academic staff's statement no later than October 31st.

According to this Administrative Guide, “for every 60 ECTS credits of the institution's study program should have at least one (1) staff with regular working relations entitled PhD from the field of research program”.

“After the process of stating academic staff the AKA Office makes verification of the state of documentation handed over by academic staff, and finds out the lack of academic staff, which is then presented to the State Council of Quality (KSHC), as the assessment of the area of study management studies is made by the KSHC with the case of application submitted by the institutions of higher education (for formal application) or by international access experts with the case of adification of the study<2>, explained VSHIVECI, by the State Council of Ccill.

While months ago, the State Council of Quality of the Kosovo Agency for Accreditation has made a decision to withdraw the accreditation of several study programmes as a result of the lack of academic staff or the disrespect of other legal requirements for the pre-advanced academic staff with Administrative Guidance.

Krasniqi has indicated that this year the Kosovo Agency for Accrediting the process of declaring academic staff and applying for accreditation will be implemented through the online/ellectic system “E-Accredit”.

“The AKA after completing the process of declaring their academic staff and verification will announce the IALs and public opinion regarding the state of academic staff, as well as the decisions of K The SHC linked to IAL research programmes based on the state of academic staff”, Krasniqi has said.

Pupovci: Average in UP, 1 teacher for 47 students

Education Affairs Diplomat Dukagjin Pupovci has said that the Kosovo Agency for Acronym for 3 science doctors for a programme is probably well met, but according to him still maintains the conclusion that Pristina University does not have sufficient academic staff.

“After official data, The UPI has about 42,000 students and 900 members of regular academic staff, that is, 1 teacher for 47 students. There are schools where this distribution is even more inconsistent and goes to 140 students”, Pupovci stated, saying that this problem can be solved by reducing the number of students or increasing the number of regular academic staff.
But, according to him, for Kosovo's conditions distribution should be somewhere 1 teacher for 2025 students, while in certain discipline the number of students should be even smaller.

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According to him, there is danger that some programmes at Pristina University will be closed precisely because of the lack of regular academic staff.

There are some programs now closing down that educate energy frameworks at technical faculties precisely for lack of framework, and that after 40 years of operating”, Professor Pupovci stressed.

He has further said that by late on a programme's accreditation, the CV of 3 science doctors in full working relations has sufficed to introduce them, but now the Kosovo Agency for Accreditation requires that they be of the respective profile.

Thus, according to Pupovci, this could lead to the closing of a number of programmes, not only in the UP, but also in other institutions of higher education, as there are many programs operating in Kosovo ignoring this demand.

While speaking of the causes that have led up to this lack of regular academic staff at the UP, Professor Dukagjin Pupovci has said there were not many professors who left this university except those who retired.

On the contrary, he felt that there was an influx straight ahead UP's of people who are far from every academic standard, and today, says Pupovci, such are in all schools.

I think that the lack of framework is caused by the uncontrolled opening of research programmes, even in cases where neither the minimum cadrovic conditions existed. Thus large numbers of hours have been created that cannot be covered in regular frameworks, even programmes for which no qualified people are found in Kosovo. And that's where the Improvization begins: you either have to engage unqualified frameworks, or people are overloaded with classes. In both cases the quality” is damaged, Pupovci estimates.

And Gramos Bucinca, a researcher at the Educational Growth Organisation (ORCA), has said that as an external associate, the regular staff at Pristina University is also contracted, which according to him engaging as collaborators in other subjects benefit materially.

“This is due to poor management of human resources, non-proliferation of new positions for professors until they meet the criteria the designated individuals, and due to the lack of strategy for introducing competent new frameworks to Universities”, Buckinca stressed.

He has also said that if there is an increase in the number of professors who do not justify titles, we have a situation in which the student is damaged because of a lack of quality, and on the other hand, taxpaying is misconstrued.
Statistics for the 2017/18 academic year, while the exact number of professors for this academic year is still unknown, as competitions for new academic staff have been open by the end of October.