academic year for first-year students could begin on October 15th

The new academic year will not start on 1 October for first-year students, but only for students of the following years, all because the registration procedure of young students at Pristina's largest public university, has not been completed.

Although there is still no official date, the teacher for teaching and student issues at Pristina University “Hasan Pristina”, Hysen Bytyqi, says the lesson for students of the first year could begin by October 15th.

Bytyqi says the delay for the start of the new academic year for first-year students is taking place due to the delay in opening the contest as a result of the postponement of Matura Testing.

Pristina University “hasan Pristina” has opened the competition for the admission of new students on September 21st and will stay on as of 30th, while admission tests will be held from October 2nd to October 6th.

Unfortunately, because of the pandemic, the first student registration deadline, which has been common in late June, and in early July, has not occurred due to the pandemic. Due to the pandemic, the Ministry of Education and Science has postponed holding the Matura Test, which was held this year 29 August and the student registration formula on us is 30 percent of the points coming from the Matura Test. So we could in no way organize it. As a result, it has come to delays all institutions of higher public and private education in Kosovo have been delayed with the start of the academic year, which by law should begin with October 1st”, he says.

However, he indicated that on 1 October, the academic year for students of the second and third years will begin.

Bytyqi points out that although the year will be delayed, first - year students will not miss a class.

The October 1st “is again started in academic units in the next years, so for the first year no, Bachelor will still not have a first year on October 1st, even for master and doctorate. Significantly, the Senate has debated all of this, and so far we have been waiting for the reactor conference or a recommendation on whether it might be a decision by the Ministry of Education and Science who would have come up with a statement that the academic year should begin with this date. So far, it has not been in addition to a request from the Conference of Rectors, who have requested or talked about the academic year starting on October 15th. I think that this date can start, what's worth pointing out is that registered students won't lose an hour, because academic units even with management... will develop their schedules so that no hour will lose”, he says.

Learning in higher education institutions due to pandemic will be combined, when exams will be held in faculty environments and online lectures.

The “is a general compatibility, a long discussion that has been carried out in the Senate, and based on IKSHPK recommendations, the government's decision and some other decisions which have been undertaken during the process to primarily continue teaching online. But the University of Pristina has programs that cannot all develop online and part of practical work where teachers and academic units consider necessary will also be organised physical instruction, meaning the physical presence of students and professors. Of course, there will be fewer subjects in those classes, and the number of students in groups will be much smaller”, Bytyqi says.

Projector Bytyqi says they are aware that physical learning does not replace online form but that this modification can continue to be used in the future.

“We are aware that physical learning does not replace online form, but this modification in the future will serve extremely much for us and the whole world, because I consider that some things even when the pandemic passes, I wish it would pass as soon as possible, and now some of the consultations won't need to be spent time and can and material means by students but to be live through online communication<1>, he says.

Pristina University “hasan Pristina” has opened the competition for accepting 6 thousand of 638 students in 14 academic units