Multiethnic School in Gracanica without Albanian Teachings

Ten students of the Albanian communities and Ashkali from the first grade to the fourth from the village of Radeva of the Gracanica municipality have not held classes at the start of the new school year.

This has been in this parallel for days that no teacher has gone through the teaching process.

In the facility of this school, built by USAID, learning is conducted in separate classes and with various programmes Albanian, Serbian and ashac students.

Qerkuni, resident of this village says about KALLXO.com that since the post-war, there have been problems providing teachers with parallels in Radeva and shipping to students in the fifth grade who have to follow lessons in Lipjan.

He adds that 10 students, five Albanians and five of the Ashkali community attend the school.

We're interested in why only our children are not coming to learn. Class started Monday. It's been two days our child comes and stays here, while the others follow lessons”, he points out.

Qrkin says the school was opened in 1978, while for nine years before the war it was closed by the local Serb community, and then the teaching was conducted in private stages to be re-opened once again after the end of the last war in Kosovo.

We're locked up in this school after the war, and today we're having problems, for students, for transportation, teachers who don't come to school anymore. So we're not even stuck with Lipjan Comuns, nor with the Gracanica municipality”, he said.

While, Tefik Bajrami from the Ashkali community says his two daughters teach at this school and that economic opportunities enable him to send his children to Lipjan elementary school.

I have two girls here at school that teach another year and two guys who are in charge of school. Many poor conditions we have, I believe that I can afford to bring them here and I've heard that from the first grade to the fifth you have to take them to Lipjan”, he told KALLXO.com.

Bajrami adds that there are no problems in co-existence with Albanians and Serbs in this village, and he has wanted his children to learn in Albanian.

Meanwhile, Rasim Hasani, director of education in the Lipjan municipality, told KALLXO.com that they have no chance to manage this educational parallel, as this is already in the context of the Gracanica municipality.

Radeva's “problem is overwhelming that requires the commitment of relevant institutions, not just ours as the Lipjan municipality. Under the current laws of the state of Kosovo, the municipality is responsible for ensuring, managing teachers and students. With decentralisation, Radeva has remained in the Gracanica municipality. Legally, we have trouble with that parallel. While morally we have supported it so far”, he said.

Hasani added that they have asked the Gracanica Community to co-operate on the issue, but that they have, according to him, expressed no readiness.

The problem is that Gracanica in no case has shown the slightest will to find solutions for the children of the Albanian community in that country. In the last letter we've been given answers and they say they don't have a budget to get into Radeva parallel management. What will happen to them now I don't know, but I believe the Gracanica municipality and the Ministry of Education” should also be engaged, the education director said in this municipality.

With no authority to make a decision concerning the fate of Albanian students and ashacal at Radeva School, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MASHT) is also being expressed.

Secretary General at the Ministry of Education Ekrem Kastrati told KALLXO.com that competent to keep instruction at this school are the respective municipalities.

“It is up to the municipalities of Gracanica and Lipjan to agree among themselves to manage the learning process at that school. It is a task The DKA of these municipalities. The learning process is executive right of municipalities, we can only intervene when we do draft the budget, at their request”, Kastrati said.

KA LLXO.com has also called for position from the Gracanica municipality, but the same have not responded.