Projects

Project Description

In cooperation with the Swiss company KEK-CDC, KEC conducted an assessment of the "HigherKOS - Promoting institutional development of higher education and science in Kosovo", which was implemented by a consortium of Austria with financial support of the Development Agency of Austria ( ADA). The xxternal evaluation process was conducted with the combined expertise of Swiss and Kosovo in two phases. The intermediate evaluation was conducted in November and December of 2014, while the recommendations of the evaluation have served for corrections and improvements in the project strategy. However, the final evaluation was conducted in September and October of 2015.

Project Description

The specific objective of the project was to strengthen the social scientific research capacity in Kosovo by developing human resources and research infrastructure, and facilitating participation in the European research programmes. The key project activities were: 1. Establishment of the Empirical Social Sciences Laboratory equipped with 15 PC’s, as well as statistical and text analysis programmes “SPSS software”, under the Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities (ISSH) of the University of Pristina. 2. Research training programme for International Social Scientific Research qualifications aiming to improve the methodological and managerial skills of Kosovan researchers. 35 young Kosovan social scientists participate in the programme. 3. Organizing large public launching conference “Horizon 2020” to improve the capacities and participation of Kosovan researchers in European research programmes. 4. 10 social scientists having graduated from the research training programme for International Social Scientific Qualifications were selected for participation in a Mentorship Programme, which includes a two week fellowship in Vienna. 5. International scientific workshop on “The social fabric of Kosovo- new research findings to evidence-base and enhance the political and socio-economic discourse about Kosovo” were organized resulting in an increased international perception of social-sciences in Kosovo and an exchange forum between producers of social-scientific evidence and its users. Main results: 1. A social sciences methods laboratory equipped with 15 PC's, as well as statistical and text analysis programmes was established and operated in the ISSH. 2. 35 younger Kosovan social scientific researchers working at different Kosovo research organizations have capacity to understand, apply and exploit state-of-art empirical social-scientific research methods and European databases through participating in research training programme. 3. The capacities of Kosovan researchers to improve their participation in European research programmes have been increased.

Project Description

The Kosova Education Centre, in partnership with Avsi (Italy) and Cesal (Spain) organizations, implemented in 2009 a research in the Dukagjini region, including municipalities of Peja, Gjakova, Klina, Istog, Rahovec, Junik, Deçan, and Malisheva. This research included most of the schools in these municipalities. At the same time, the research involved all teachers and principals in the selected schools. For a better implementation of the research, Didactic Centres of Peja and Gjakova were mobilized to provide logistical support, such as distribution and collecting of questionnaires. The total number of teachers included in this research was 1277 from the Peja region and 1492 from the Dukagjini region; there were also 111 school principals who participated in the research. The good cooperation between partners in the research increased performance and allowed for efficient implementation. The project produced a sizable report, which offered substantial data and useful recommendations that were presented before all stakeholders. Apart from the report, the project organized other activities that aimed at increasing capacities of Didactic Centers.

Project Description

This research is part of a larger project entitled "Devided education – devided citizens?" which was conducted in eight countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Latvia, Romania, Slovakia and Tajikistan. The research was coordinated by the Network of Education Policy Centers (NEPC) headquartered in Croatia, while the research activities in Kosovo were conducted by the Kosovo Education Center. The research began with two focus groups, one composed of Albanians and the other of Serb students. Then, a survey was conducted of 597 students and 94 teachers from schools with instruction in Albanian and Serbian language teaching. Based on the analysis the following recommendations were provided:

1. Kosovo's institutions should respect all rights granted by the Constitution and law to facilitate the integration of the Serb community in Kosovo education system, using the incentives where considered appropriate.
2. Without prejudice to the right of the Serb community to adopt plans and programs of the Republic of Serbia, while they are not in contradiction with the principles of coexistence and peaceful coexistence, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology should provide the opportunity of the formalization of these contents, including those in the educational curriculum of Kosovo in Serbian language teaching.
3. Children and young people of all communities should be able to learn more about the prospects of other communities. This can be achieved through a multi-perspective approach to teaching history, where children, in addition to the interpretation of historical events from the national perspective, can learn about the views of other communities in relation to the same events.
4. Learning environment on an optional basis is another tool for building understanding between young people from different ethnic communities, as well as organizing joint educational activities.

Project Description

This study addresses the link between technological change and employer-provided training in the Western Balkans. It is hypothesised that firms subject to technological change have an increased demand for skills and one mechanism to accommodate this demand is by providing additional training for their workforce. To test this proposition data are extracted from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development-World Bank Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS) from waves 2002 and 2005. Probit and tobit estimations are used to analyse the impact of technological change upon training incidence and intensity. The findings of this analysis suggest that firms that undergo technological change are indeed more likely to provide training and there is some evidence that they provide a greater training intensity. This positive association between technological change and training suggests that one way to address under-investment in training in the Western Balkans is by enhancing incentives for firms to undertake technological change.

Project Description

This research aimed to form a series of recommendations on the basis of discoveries made, which will encourage activities and actions in building a functional system of quality education for all in Kosovo. The main objectives of the research were:

• To ascertain the quality of infrastructure, curriculum / textbooks, and teaching and learning in basic education in Kosovo
• To provide systematized and reliable information on the condition and quality of basic education in Kosovo;
• To ascertain the quality of basic education impact on human development;
• To organize a constructive debate in order to ensure Quality Education for All in Kosovo that will have an impact on human development and social capital of Kosovo.

The research results were presented at the international conference held in November 2006 dedicated to the development Strategy 2007 -2017 of the pre-university education.