The consequences of Kosovo's departure from European Association for Quality in Education

Gazmend Luboten, chairman of the State Council of Quality, in a conversation for Radio Free Europe rejects reporting, as he says in some media where it was said that university diplomas will not be recognised from now on.

“I think the most important issue the public has to know is about students' mobileity, meaning, we can't say that diplomas can't be recognised, because Kosovo has been a member (in the ENQA) from 2014 to 2019, because even earlier until 2014, Kosovo has not been a member, but its diplomat has been recognised abroad in Europe and beyond”, he points out.

So, don't be taken, understood in the opinion, that all the diplomas that are worth here in Kosovo and released here are not worth out of the country. Kosovo has also been in the period of war from now on, and those diplomas that have been received in a state of emergency have been recognised in other countries outside Kosovo”, Luboten explains, writes Radio Free Europe.

The European Association for High Education Quality Security is an organisation representing its members in Europe and beyond.

This mechanism weeks earlier had made the decision not to continue membership of the Kosovo Accreditation Agency in this mechanism because, reportedly, the failure to meet the required European criteria and in particular was highlighted political interference in the Kosovo Agency for Accreditation.

ENGUE as political interference has considered the decision by outgoing Education Minister Shyqi Bytyqi to take place at the outgoing prime minister's request, Ramush Haradinaj, to dismiss the State Council of Quality in 2017.

Representatives of civil society in Kosovo, as well as international mechanisms, had reacted in terms of the non-resistant membership of the Kosovo Agency for Accreditation in the ENQA.

The chief of the European Union Office in Pristina, Natalia Apostolova, had blamed the government and politics on the situation. Meanwhile, nongovernmental organisations in Kosovo, which deal with education, had blamed politics, but also mismanagement of the Kosovo Agency for Accreditation.

In addition, civil society had considered the expulsion of the Kosovo Agency for Accreditation from the ENQA a major damage to students enrolled in accredited programmes after 2019, especially on the issue of easier recognition of their diplomas outside Kosovo.

As for the difficulties students will face now following Kosovo's failure to membership in the ENQA, Gazmend Luboten says there may be difficulties in the student's furniture.

According to him, a student of a state who is a member of the ENQA has the right to use the logo that is envisioned with the agreement with the ENQA and that they will find it easier to continue master studies or doctorates at a European university.

While students from Kosovo, Luboten adds, who will want to continue master's studies or doctorates outside Kosovo, may be at a disadvantage with students from the SEE member states.

Kosovo to re-Apply to ECQA

In the announcement of the European Association for the Security of Quality in Higher Education sent to the Kosovo Agency for Accreditation, it is suggested that this Agency could apply for membership again two years after making that decision.

Regarding the re-membership in this mechanism, Luboteni says procedures for re-application will continue.

“All remarks will be taken into account and that we will apply again on the ENQA. We will now continue with all the criteria because the European quality standards we are applying and will continue to apply, despite not being a member of the ENQA now. We'll continue the application procedures again. The Law for the Agency for Accreditation, which is the main request of the ENQA, is in the draft and is almost final, as such, must be adopted in Parliament and all of this must be exceeded”, Luboteni says.

The education sector in Kosovo for years has faced major problems and without adequate improvement in specific areas. Poor quality in education is highlighted as one of the biggest problems facing this sector in Kosovo.