Disrecognition of diplomas lowers interest in studies from Valley in Kosovo

Many young people from Presevo Valley have decided not to continue their studies on higher education in Kosovo, but in other countries in the region.

That is because their diplomas continue not to be recognised in the Serbian state, even after many diploma recognition agreements.

Disrecognition of Kosovo university diplomas by authorities in Serbia has made it difficult for young Albanians living in the Presevo Valley to employ.

National Council Chairman in the Presevo Valley, Nevzad Lutfiu, told Radio Kosovo that young people there have found other solutions outside the Presevo Valley, emigrating or studying at other universities in the region.

A high school student's career has begun to change. Unlike earlier, where most young people have studied in Kosovo, they are now looking at other options in Tetovo and Tirana. This is a greater cost to the students of the valley, due to distance, lifestyle and cost in Tetovo, so the students' lives have been difficult, but the only solution remains, he said.

Meanwhile, the University of Gjilan, “Kadri Zeka”, has repeatedly had more quotas for students in the Presevo Valley, for reasons even close to the countries.

But, the dean of the Economic Faculty, Xhevat Sopi, told Radio Kosovo that the number of interested people from Valley has already fallen to study at this university.

The last “has almost dropped number. Of the last statistics we have, we have seen that at the university level there are not even 15 applications in the last year, which is very symbolic. On the other hand, we offer many opportunities to students of the Presevo Valley”, he said.

Dean Sopi, stressed that it is urgent to work in terms of recognition of diplomas.

I think that at the first moment the problem of diplomas will be solved, we will have multiple demand in the report by now. Gjilan University will be the student reference from Presevo Valley, for the same programmes we offer and other universities”, he said.

In November 2011, Kosovo and Serbia, within the framework of then technical dialogue, had reached an agreement on mutual recognition of university schooling diplomas. During 2013- 2014, through the confirmation of Kosovo University diplomas from the non-governmental Dutch SPARK organisation, the government of Serbia had agreed to verify those diplomas, to open up employment opportunities through those diplomas. But since 2014, this has not worked.

Currently, there are no precise statistics on what the number of Albanian graduates in Presevo, Bujanoc and Medvedja are not recognised by the Serbian state. Meanwhile, authorities in Kosovo, following the agreement in Brussels on mutual recognition of diplomas, have issued an administrative guide on the issue and that it has been implemented.

On September 4, 2020, at the White House in Washington, vows were signed separately for the economic normalisation agreement between the two countries. One of the points of the agreement was recognition of diplomas. But, according to authorities in the Presevo Valley, this point of agreement in Serbia has not been implemented.