About five percent of children follow the preschool lesson

The European Commission (KE) has praised Kosovo as a country “in the early phase of preparation in the field of education and culture, with limited progress and the need for considerable improvement”.

The Country Report on Kosovo, of this institution of the European Union (BE), says that the following level of primary schooling (cates 1-5) and lower middle (Cates 6-9) amounts to an almost universal “<x2.6 percent, while the middle one stands at an average rate of 85 percent.

But, this report expresses concern for the very low <x0 number” of children up to five, registered in pre-school education institutions.

The number of children aged zero to five registered in licensed pre-school education institutions remains very low (4.9 percent)”, the EC report says.

And in primary education, between five and six age age groups, according to the report, 92.4 percent of children are involved. But generally in preschool and primary education, which includes age groups up to six years of age (0-6), 19.1 percent of children are registered.

The European Commission estimates that registration figures, of children in pre-school and primary education (0-6), are still far from the targets.

Kosovo has continued to invest in public child care facilities, but the registration rate has not increased significantly. Many children are part of the private children's care institutions, including private pre-school institutions, especially in the capital (Pristina). The registration rate is still far from the goals of education and training of 95 percent by 2020”, the report notes.

In the “report Education statistics, 2018-19”, of the Kosovo Statistics Agency (ASK), published last week, reportedly the number of children involved in pre-school education (0-5), in public institutions, is 4 thousand and 9099.

While, the number of children registered in pre - primary education (5-6), is twenty-two thousand and fifty-five (051).

According to the AKS report, the number of pre-school/public guests across the Republic of Kosovo is forty-three (43). Pristina has the largest number of them, eight (8) sosh, out of five (5), have Gjakova and Istog, then Gjilan four (4), Ferizaj and Drenas from two (2), while the huge part of other municipalities have only one public nursery. But other municipalities, such as Prizren, Dragashi, Decani, Hani of Elez, and others, have no public nursery.

Youth Qehaja, director at the Institute for Education Studies “EdGard”, tells Radio Free Europe, that the statistics presented in the European Commission report are disturbing. According to him, the Ministry of Education should review priorities, focusing on investments to improve the situation in pre-school and primary education.

“Statistics of pre-school and primary education are disturbing, and above all, prove total neglect by the country's institutions towards the involvement of children in early education. Investment in pre-school education represents priorities of the European agenda, while lacking in the Government's plan for education”.

“Priories seem to be the one to open new schools, more for political participation, than to represent something in accordance with population projections, it becomes more disturbing when investments in pre-school institutions are still very peripheral in political party agendas”, Qehaja points out.

Qehaja estimates that in many of the existing pre-school institutions, in addition to infrastructure conditions, the quality of education and dedication is also lacking.

I remember that the biggest involvement of children in pre-school institutions has positive socioeconomic implications for our families, in particular the employment of women. On the other hand, beyond space, in many pre-school institutions there are shortages in support infrastructure, conditions and good environment for children”.

A lot of pre-school institutions are overcrowded, when child-education goes up 17 to 1, this always in terms of lack of academic materials, which for these age groups is vital. As a result, in most pre-school institutions education for these age groups has been reduced to daily care rather than commitment to genuine child education”, Qehaja adds.

Even in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MASHT), the major impasses in the children's involvement in early education are acknowledged. Deputy Education Minister Heset Sahiti tells Radio Free Europe that the ministry is working on the draft for early education as one of the steps to improving the situation.

“It is true that we are still far away from international standards regarding the inclusion of children in the nursery (zero until five years of age), but the Ministry of Education is making efforts to provide opportunities and spaces enough to soften or accomplish this by P SAK (Strategic Educational Plan in Kosovo). While, as for primary education (5-6), we are implementing the plan around 92.4 percent, the number of involvement is going up in almost all schools”, says Deputy Prime Minister Sahiti.

Speaking of policies by the Ministry of Education to improve the situation, Deputy Minister Sahiti says they are in the process of building and contracting for construction of public nests, in about 15th (15) municipalities.

“About policies which the Ministry of Education intends to cover in the future this area, under construction from 2014 and 2016, which have begun, are six nests from the IPA, two are in co-operation, August with IPA, two with Kosovo budgets. With IPA 2016, 6 nesting projects are under way: in Pristina, in Peja (Vitomirica), in Skenderaj, in Gjilan, in Drenas, in Obiliq”.

“While, (financed) by August in co-operation with IPA, there are two nests: in Kacanik and in Enhance. With Kosovo's budget, the breach in Rahovec and another in Pristina are under construction. Construction is under way in Prizren. While it is under way to contract it from August to be nests in Kline, in Istog, in Suhareka, in Prizren and in the process of preparing the exit to Pristina. It means these are future prospects we think of with public nursery,”, he points out.

According to Deputy Prime Minister Sahiti, public nursery in Vushtrri, Ferizaj, Lipjan, Pristina and Prizren are under construction.

Sahiti said that, in addition to 43 public pre-school institutions, 84 private institutions are licensed in Kosovo. According to him, private institutions are not part of these statistics for the number of children in pre-school education institutions, adding that their involvement would increase the percentage of children they attend at this level of education.

In this regard, the European Commission estimates that data provided by institutions is neither reliable nor complete.

The data provided so far by institutions is not credible, not easily accessible and does not account for a large number of private pre-school institutions”, writes in the report of this European Union institution.

Meanwhile, the executive director of the Edgood Institute, Youth Qehaja, believes that insufficient monitoring of private nests creates distrust even in the number of children in them.

This situation becomes more difficult because we lack reliable statistics about child presence in private pre-school institutions. So this still remains the responsibility of August that doesn't monitor enough and there is no accurate data on these institutions”, Qehaja adds.

However, according to Deputy Prime Minister Sahiti,“cannot be found to be in violation of<x1, related to fraud about the number of children in private pre-school institutions.

Improved access to quality pre-school education is one of the recommendations unremarked by local institutions, which has been repeated in this European Commission Country Report on Kosovo.