Implementation of Brussels agreements, Government Expected to Test Serbian High School Diplomat in Kosovo

In addition to verifying diplomas issued by the Northern Mitrovica parallel University, the Commission for Verification is expected to begin verifying diplomas issued by high schools operating under Serbia's parallel system, Express writes.

Elizabeth Gowing, head of the North Mitrovica University's Commission for Verification of Diplomats, in a response to the Journal Express, has said the Commission it is currently in charge of both the launch and verification of Serbian high school diplomas in Kosovo.

Gowing has clarified that this comes after the Kosovo Government's decision taken at the Kosovo Government meeting of October 27, 2023.

As it explains, the Commission you are running has begun to operate under the Brussels Agreement in 2016.

This process has not been done earlier, either from the Office of the Prime Minister or from another institution. With the Government's decision, the Commission for Verification of Diplomas issued by the University of Northern Mitrovica (a commission that has begun to operate under the Brussels Agreement in 2016), now has obligation to start and verify Serbian high school diplomas in Kosovo”, Gowing told Express.

She has said that the Commission for Verification of diplomas of Serbian system schools in Kosovo has two members from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.

The issue of recognising university diplomas has been discussed in Brussels in dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. This agreement envisions even the authorities of Serbia to recognise students from Presevo Valley diplomas who have studied in Kosovo.

The number two of the Government of Kosovo, Besnik Bislimi, during a visit to the Valley in September 2022, had said the issue of recognition of diplomas should be addressed, among the many problems Albanians face there.

The moment has come for the Presevo Valley issue to be taken note of even the international community. Serious problems such as dispopulation, guaranteeing rights for Albanians, censusing, recognising diplomas, lack of investments from institutions, should now be widely addressed” had written Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi.

The diploma Verification Process had been under way since 2016, when August was directed by Edsim Bajrami. Bajrami had then declared that it is time for the bitter past to be left behind and have equal access to all Kosovo citizens.

The time has come to leave our bitter past behind and to have equal access to all citizens of the Republic of Kosovo. Our next focus also envisions co-operation with schools”, Bajrami had said in 2016.

The agreement on the start of implementing the Agreement on Recognition of diplomas between Kosovo and Serbia was reached in January 2016, when negotiations were directed by Edita Tahiri. The parties agreed to start implementation on March 1, 2016.

“Minister for Dialog Edita Tahiri, at the same time chief negotiator in the Brussels dialogue, has stressed that this is a new diplomat agreement, which is more extensive than 2011, because it included mutual recognition of diplomas of all levels of schooling from elementary school to higher university education and professional levels. With this agreement Kosovo and Serbia have agreed to mutually recognise these diplomas: primary, high school diplomas, vocal schooling, fifth level of qualifications according to the framework of European qualifications (EQF), federal diplomat, master and doctorates”, the Kosovo Government announced.

Tahiri had been pointing the finger of guilt at Serbia at the time, for delays in starting to implement this agreement the parties had strongly agreed on since 2011.