100 primary education students abandoned school last year

School banks last year lacked about 100 primary education students. Anny, why mandatory education, many girls and boys were unable to complete even nine years of age. The largest dropout number was registered in higher education. 900 other Kosovo students did not attend schooling during 2020-2021. In fact, in this period Kosovo enrolled 12,000 fewer students. This is most often due to poor economic conditions, where children are being forced to work, even as it is a violation of children's rights. In other cases, girls are forced to leave their schooling, a large number are identified in the community. The ministry is required to work on preventing such cases, meanwhile, by this institution say they have drafted policies in preventing and restoring students.

Human rights co-ordinator at the Ministry of Education Merita Jonuz shows that the numbers of drop out of schools have declined, but in recent years there is also a decline in nighthood.

“About 100, or per cent is 1.05 abandon to mandatory education, class 1 to 9. Meanwhile, our dropout is high in higher middle education. We have 1,19, while years ago we had 3 percent, there was a high number or high dropout figures on educational levels. Now we have a drop, but we're concerned about each figure, about the fact that legislation in force and especially in mandatory education requires that all children be in school banks and are beneficiaries of the education system... We have about 900 abandoned students in high education. It's not mandatory education, but our attention is that the ground works hard on prevention”, it shows.

Social and economic factors are the main factors affecting the dropout of schooling. But this is changing depending on municipalities in Kosovo.

The key factors that motivate drop out of schooling are social and economic factors. There are also individual, family factors that generate the problem of abandoning. But, mostly the economic and social factor, sometimes cultural, is the one that causes the main problem of abandoning... The municipalities that have the largest dropout of schools are large municipalities, but even small municipalities. We have Gjakova, Peja, Prizren, Malisheva, Vushtrri, Pristina, which have slightly higher dropout numbers”, she adds.

In addition to the general dropout of schools, problems for many students remain many as well.

The chief of pre-university college in the Kosovo Communist Association, Samir Sahin, says that since the pandemic, students have had difficulty returning to normal.

We still have numerous cases that students continue to find not adequate to restore the education system and there are numerous shortages. I think how we still have a lot of problems with the many shortages more than with total absences. However, in their compulsory education, those who have a lot of absences have to enable you to go to school, we are obliged by law, allow you to complete the mandatory education even with class exams”, Shahini declares.

There are fewer and fewer students in the country, but migration is also the cause.

The often binding “Education often, the main reason for abandoning, is evacuation from Kosovo, migration. Since last year in this school year we have statistically 12,000 students less in the pre-university education system in Kosovo. Which is so alarming. The main factor remains the downward nature of our country. Another factor is migration”, Sahin adds.

The coalition of nongovernmental child protection organisations (KOMF) considers child rights violations, the inability to continue schooling.

We as a coalition consider this to be a violation of children's rights, because the right to education is guaranteed with all international human rights instruments. Even with legislation in Kosovo both through constitution and all other laws, it is not only fair but also the obligation of all people and society to enable children and guarantee free schooling. According to AK data in co-operation with U NICEF, the latest report, shows that abandoning schools continues to remain a problem especially with Roma, Ashkali, Egyptian communities. Where 84 percent of communities' children attend primary schools... 64 percent attend high school, while 31 percent attend lower high school”, says Bellaza Surdul.

One of the vulnerable groups in education is also disabled children.

There have been abandons during the pandemic, but they've been left behind because of the inability to pursue schooling. Because of lack of infrastructure, too, due to lack of electronic equipment. There was a phenomenon that was highlighted in 2020 in the pandemic, but in previous years even disabled children have had difficulty following teaching”, notes the Surdul from the KOMF.

According to the ministry's data, 63 men and 46 women in primary and lower secondary education have stopped schooling. But, from the Kosovo Youth Council (KYC), say women remain the most relevant in education.

Iron Meta from this organisation claims that reports in their organisation have enumerated several factors that are affecting the dropout of schools.

The majority of the cases we've had that were forced to leave school are in rural areas or where there are a majority of communities. Where conditions of economic ills are forced to stop learning and other jobs that can help their family. However, there are many other occasions where students are forced to stop learning when girls are forced to follow gender standards and roles. So instead of going to education, they are forced to do house or family chores. We have many reports that have come to us in the form of a report by the Council of Students of Kosovo where, in addition to the reasons you mentioned, there have been many cases when students have been forced to leave school due to poor conditions in Kosovo's”,

The Education Ministry's Merita Jonuzi says they have created an early identification system for the problem of abandoning. According to her, field teams are working on preventing and returning students to school banks.

“Ekips are working, someone better, someone weaker. We are working closely as minister to build up everyone's capacities on the ground to implement these policies well so that all children in Kosovo, indiscriminately, ethnicity or other circumstances, are beneficiaries of the educational system. And to develop within full potential, as long as they have potential”, it ended.

Educational institutions based on the Convention on Children's Rights should take care of participation and inclusion in quality education, ensuring the development of children within full potential.