Do Kosovo youths have knowledge of security and protection?

With the invasion of Ukraine from Russia, as well as the uncertainty throughout Europe, and especially in our region, voices have increased so that in our schools and faculties the legalization of a new subject, the one for protection and security. However, there are also those who say that there is no need for such subjects.

Serbia, which is advocating Russian aggression in Ukraine, is at times threatening Kosovo, invests millions of euros in military vehicles, even according to data, the amount of investment in the military is as high as all the countries in the region combined, don't invest much.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Albin Kurti has repeated several times that Serbia is trying to destabilise Kosovo and Bosnia. In all of this global security attack, Kosovo has increased the budget for the Kosovo Security Force, and established the security fund, in which citizens are contributing money to the military. Still, compulsory military service is not under way. Throughout these circumstances, voices have increased so that youths can learn basics about protection.

High legalisation of the security and military career area, Ramadan Qehaja, has said that now when global security is on board, I consider that young people do not have basic security knowledge, on emergency and similar issues respectively.

He says that after the war in Kosovo on high school and university programmes, the defence and security item was unilaterally removed without any explanation.

I'm thinking that this issue will be thoroughly studied and return to the protection and security material in high school and faculty programmes. The subject as such should be thoroughly and not necessarily from a purely military angle. This would have to be a priority assignment of August, which would have to form a task force for high school protection and security classes. At the same time, there will be a working group for subjects at universities. As far as my initiative will be concerned, it depends on the support that will be taken from our citizens and institutions in particular from August. If this initiative is supported, then other issues dealing with the beginning of providing relevant programmes and literature, legalists etc.”, he said.

Youth Qehaja from the EdGard Institute said that for legalisation of the protection course and security, employment of graduate teachers for protection and security would not be necessary, since, according to him, each teacher has professional competence to investigate and learn on the subject.

While talking about establishing a new subject, Qehaja points out that in the first place they have other subjects, such as active citizenship, and sexual education, because according to him, these two subjects are very important for child awareness.

 “The specificness of the ongoing protection and security of teaching should be revised, our curriculum offers for that flexibility, we our teachers actually have that opportunity through elective curriculum to present topics that are current but are not limited to programming. It may be a good idea, but at the same time it's the idea to invite us to remind teachers who have flexibility in learning development curves on these subjects (...) At the same time on topics such as protection and security are current at a moment but impacting active citizenship, as I said very easily, can be fully introduced into the plan with flexibility of current teaching programs and offered by any educator who has a real professional competence and a will to investigate and learn away on this” theme, he said.

Security expert Drizan Shala told Kosovo Press that implementing such an item will not be necessary, as Kosovo's academy and military high school are, according to him.

Until it adds that no member country NATO does not use this curriculum for security and protection.

 “Centrative tools ) Defense and Security, must precede security sector forecasts because there should be a mechanism and a modulation of how protection and security should exist because the former Yugoslav system in Kosovo, before 99, has implemented the protection subject which senior high school students have practiced or faced for knowledge of security and protection. But in the current contemporary concept, the subject is not applied or practiced. So no member country of NATO does not use such a curriculum for security and protection in high schools, as military academy exists, as well as military high schools. So we in this respect have to review the concept and on this concept we have to draft policies that have to deal specifically with security and protection in the Republic of Kosovo”, he says.

The Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (MASHTI), in a written response to Kosova Prees, has said implementing protection and security materials in schools is the state's competence, adding that students' safety from different internet programmes is involved in programmes and materials by the Ministry of Education.

“The issue of introduction of protection classes and safety in schools is state competence. So so far we have no special materials for protection and security. However, the safety of students from natural disasters, security from the dangers of internet use and negative phenomena is involved in programs and materials worked by the MASTI”, is the written answer for Kosova Preress.