Next week the decision is made on how to keep the learning process

Those during a meeting today have discussed options for the continuation of the learning process, where one of the proposals was for students from the first grade to the fifth to return to school, while for the sixth to ninth classes and for students to decide municipalities.

Education Minister Rame Likaj said in this case they will have another meeting next week, in which everything will be clarified as regards the start of the new school year.

He said all preparations are under way to respond to three options for starting the teaching process, however, demanded that the final decision be made by the Kosovo government, which was supported by the DKA directors.

“I had proposed that the final decision be made through the Government of Kosovo means master-plan, with concrete proposals which will be sent to the government and the government will make this decision, while we are obliged to implement this decision”, he said.

Minister Likaj said they are working to include about 1,000 aid teachers who will assist educators with health problems.

Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Tahiri also attended this meeting, who said the government should make a decision that will be executive and for the entire education sector.

“As Government we have to make a decision, which will be executive and will be for the entire education sector. Also, you know that a master-plan has to be approved with three options that have more or less been discussed and in the context of the package for economic recovery we're working to effectively set the parameters for financial support of this sector... we will compile a financial stimulus that will enable the implementation of this process. We will also make an assessment of how and what size the budget is spent on, so that some of the budget surplus can be used and spent on education that you lead”, he said.

Kosovo Communist Association Chairman Saban Ibrahimi said that at a meeting he has held with the mayors of the municipalities and education directors have called for a faster decision on how the learning process will take place.

“Chairmans have shown readiness for the 2020/2021 learning process to begin over time, have also supported the modules, which have been introduced by Minister Likaj, but have called for a quicker decision, because time is being offered and all processes around the start of the new school year are related to finance. In general, we can say that even in conversation with the College of Education Directors, but also with the mayors, municipalities are ready for the start of the teaching process and we believe that during today we will have an action plan that needs to be added to the budget for modules, which can be implemented at the local” level, he said.

The SBASK chairman, Nundman Jashari, said they would support any commitment to the start of the new school year, but warned cut-offs of the teaching process if there will be no hygienic conditions and safeguard clauses for teachers at schools.

We are for every version mentioned today, even though teachers are more called and tending to return to schools, even with this version of partial return. But, the SBASK has been against revising the budget of precisely the UN to be punished with budget cuts, when this new school year requires more tools than it was meant to have with the preliminary budget. The SBASK says publicly and not grieves anyone, the protocols that are signed we will be escorting through the heads of schools and the first moment we notice that protocols are not being respected, that there is no hygiene being maintained, that there are no disinfectant means, there are no protective tools for teachers and students we will call the board, and we will appeal that such teaching is going to be discontinued”, he said.

Jashari said the SBASK would not allow the teachers to increase rates, which he said every movement with rates will not accept and reject.

He has also demanded that teachers be tested according to the ability before the start of the learning process.

Returning to school facilities has also been requested by the Kosovo Parents' Council.

Representatives from this Council, Burim Bruqaj, said that as parents we support the return of students to schools because online learning has not been successful.

We saw that online learning didn't result in success, whether it was a lack of information technology that had students who didn't have the opportunity to participate in online learning, even of teachers who were not active or in part active. We hope that children will return to schools, especially if there are no other levels, at least from 1st to 5, which should be close to school banks, understood by clean, disinfected schools, with gloves, social distance”, he said.

Even municipal education directors have supported the idea of returning students to schools, whether via A scenario, which envisions returning to schools with preventive measures, or scenario B, meaning partial return.

This meeting was also discussed in organizing the senior test. Minister Likaj said they have made all the preparations so that this test can be held as envisioned for August 29th.

“I believe that we have made all preparations with the date of August 29th”, he said.