Prishtina, 11 May 2021 – The Ombudsperson, Mr. Naim Qelaj participated in a roundtable discussion organized by the GAP Institute that presented its report “Closing student-less schools in Kosovo? A brief analysis on primary education reforms”.

Mr. Qelaj stressed that throughout Kosovo there is a decrease in the number of pupils as a result of demographic changes such as declining birth rates and migration, and this happens especially in rural areas. The Ombudsperson said that the child’s right to education is not only a matter of access to education but also of its quality. He added that in such a situation, a well-analyzed plan and strategy is needed, using the experiences of countries that have passed this stage, adapting to our needs and conditions.

Mr. Qelaj said that the Ministry of Education should be committed to setting legal standards, which would create the same practices in accordance with this situation throughout the country, in order to have equal treatment for all pupils.

This roundtable was also attended by Mrs. Shqipe Bruçi, Deputy Director of the Department for Pre-University Education, Ministry of Education, Mayor of Kamenica, Mr. Qendron Kastrati, the author of the research, Mr. Bekim Salihu and Fjolla Kaçaniku from the University of Prishtina. The findings of the report show that from the school year 2008/2009 to the school year 2019/2020, the number of students has decreased by 26%, or 114,323 students. According to data provided by GAP, 19 municipalities have 340 classrooms with five or fewer students and 642 classrooms with less than ten students.