Kosovo - Educational Tools Enlighten Youth

Physics has suddenly become a lot easier to teach at Gjergji Fishta elementary and middle school in Kosovo’s capital, Pristina.  A small grant enabled the school to buy new educational tools, including amperemeters.

Physics Teacher Shqipe Lloncari says she can now finally demonstrate how electricity is measured, instead of just talking about it!

“The classes now are much easier, and the students are much more able to understand the subject, and the fact that they can actually put in practice what we teach is not only good for the students but for the country,” Lloncari says.

The new tools and equipment are part of an education project run by Kosovo’s Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology.  The World Bank supports the project which aims at strengthening the country’s new educational institutions.

As part of the education project, school staff, students, and their parents all have a say in what they believe their community schools need most.

In the town of Hajvalia, they agreed on new computers for their school in order to better teach subjects ranging from technology and math to physics and foreign languages.

“Before this equipment, it wasn’t easy to do my job, and I am happy to say it is better than before because the students can see what they are learning in theory,” says teacher Naser Gerbeshi who uses the new computers to teach  Technology.

Through the education project, 250 elementary, middle, and high schools around Kosovo have received small grants of up to 10,000 and 15,000 Euros in order to improve their facilities, with new computers, labs, books, and other teaching aids.

The community of each recipient school was required under the project to make minor contributions as well, toward the improvements which the teachers, students, and parents opted to buy with the grants.

In addition, recipient school staff received specialized training in order to help them prepare three year school development plans, measure school achievements, and develop financial plans for even further progress.

At Grergi Fishta in Pristina, the staff says it is budgeting for more items to supplement what it bought through the grant, including books of Albanian and English literature and more science equipment.

That makes 13-year-old Leandrit Llunji happy:

“I want to be a scientist because it is a very interesting job to have and you can find things out about the world that people never knew,” he says.

Leandrit says the new equipment is helping him and other students in Kosovo become more educated – and innovative – citizens!