Over 280 people aged 13 and 23 in Kosovo have been identified with extraordinary intelligence

The state of Kosovo, for the time being, does not offer support to these young people.

The international institute for extraordinary intelligence in Kosovo, “Atami”, is the only address in Kosovo to identify children with extraordinary intelligence and offer them support. This institution has been doing this for a decade.

Officials in this Institute say that in addition to children who have been discovered under the “project, there have been many others of younger age, even five - year - olds, who have been referred to for evaluation by parents or educators.

Naime Hoxha, director of the “Atami” Institute, says that the right to application for intelligence testing has all students who are in 8-12 classrooms and who follow school, whether public or private in Kosovo.

Students who are younger may be tested, but for them, there are no beneficial activities.

Ganimet Rexhepi, the mother of a child with extraordinary abilities, says that to accomplish his goals and further advance his knowledge, except at the “Atami”, support has not met, either at school or at other state institutions.

Mrs. Naime (Hoja) has explained how we should deal with our child after he was discovered with extraordinary intelligence skills, but we have not had any kind of support (from the state). Except we've been commended and commended for having such a child, nothing else. I can say that I remember today the words that were from the school principal that we have no support to give you, the program is the same as for all children and we have continued. It means, never, no support from state institutions”, says Ganimette Rexhepi.

Institute director “Atami”, Naim Hoxha says that so far he has not seen national-level mechanisms for identifying highly intelligent children, nor do there exist formal roadmaps that would help teachers and other employees work with these children.

The Institute of Atomicia alone deals with the identification and support of people with extraordinary intelligence. So I consider that the state has much to do and take the first step with the legislation itself in force, and then to support people with special needs”, she says.

On the other hand, the Ministry of Education in 2019 had issued an administrative guide for children with extraordinary intelligent abilities. By this instruction, the ministry's tasks and responsibilities are to design and monitor the implementation of policies for the identification and support of children/children with extraordinary abilities, gifts, creativity and artistic abilities. However, so far, this ministry has not taken any action on the issue.

Education Minister Arberie Nagavci told Radio Free Europe that they have planned several actions to help children with high intelligence levels.

The first “has to do with regulating legislative and second, then with financial support. Of course, the high-intelligent category has often remained as bypassed”, Nagavci said.

The last “, with the challenge of pandemic, has made this situation even more difficult. So our plans are to go in two directions, first with the regulation of the entire legal aspect and with the division and budget planning for these children”, she added.

Because of pandemic, in the past year and this year no tests have been made for young dentists. Tests were not made due to the lack of budgetary means for realising the “Institute's project”.

Otherwise, some of the Bitatomists identified by the Institute “atatmi” are studying at prestigious European and American universities and, as they say in this Institute, they have won full scholarships for studies.

The last to have won a full scholarship for studies abroad is Kosovo student Era Syla, who has been accepted for studies at prestigious American university, MlT Massachusetts Institute of Technology.