Prizren, 29 March, 2024
Following the activities developed during today, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, visited the city of Prizren, where he participated in the round table with students from the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities, a meeting which was took place in the premises of the University of Prizren “Ukshin Hoti”.
Prime Minister Kurti first held a meeting with the Rector of “Ukshin Hoti” University, Mentor Alishani, where he was informed about the work and achievements of this University, as he expressed that he is happy to be located in the ancient city of Prizren, from which they many intellectuals and artists emerged. There he singled out the late Kujtim Paçaku as one of the distinguished students.
Also present at the discussion table were some of the students who have benefited from the scholarships for the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities, which were distributed this year, carried out in cooperation between the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation and the Ministry of Administration of Local Government.
It is worth noting that yesterday, the contract for funds was signed for Lendrit Çeku, the first Egyptian in Kosovo for doctoral studies.
During the discussion with students, Prime Minister Kurti highlighted the establishment of the Inter-Institutional Team in 2022, which aims to promote the employment of the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities, in addition to the scholarships that have been allocated for higher education and secondary school students. .
“We as the Government value diversity as an asset for a country, we are proud that every year we have more students from different communities in our public universities and more graduates in our labor market”, said Prime Minister Kurti during the conversation with him young men and women from the communities.
Meanwhile, the Rector of the University of Prizren, Professor Mentor Alishani, said that the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities are a very important asset of our society and enjoy a strong presence in our country. He said that in all study programs we have students and scholarship holders from the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities.
“Our university has been and will be open to all initiatives and projects aimed at promoting community values that are an inseparable part of our society”, added the rector.
During this visit, Prime Minister Kurti had the opportunity to see the premises of the Library of this University up close.
Prime Minister Kurti’s complete speech:
Honorable Mr. Mentor Alishani, Rector of the University of Prizren, “Ukshin Hoti”,
Honorable vice-rectors, Mrs. Serdan Kervan and Mrs. Adelina Rakaj,
The honorable deputy of the Assembly of the Republic, Erxhan Galushi,
Dear Deputy Ministers, Elshani and Kelmendi,
Honorable Habit Hajredini, director of the Office for Good Governance,
Dear academic staff and students of “Ukshin Hoti” University,
Dear attendees,
Ladies and gentleman,
It is a pleasure to be here at the University named after Professor Ukshin Hoti. I am always happy to return to the ancient city of Prizren, from where many intellectuals and artists have come. The late Kujtim Paçaku stands out among them and it is an honor to be together with his family members here today.
One of Mr. Paçak’s poems that I like the most is titled “Until” as a question for what he reads. The last part of the poem has a blessing, which I am quoting:
“Let the pages of the book be their wings. So that tomorrow they can fly and fly and fly to the endless sky”, the quote ends.
Today we are in an environment, as we are all witnesses, surrounded by books and I am happy to be here to discuss how we can ensure that the students of Mr. Paçak’s community, of the Roma community, but also of the Ashkali and Egyptian communities they can reach the heights they aim for. And, we know that flying is not just a matter of desire. We know from the world of industry that flight is voluntary. Yes. But with work and careful design, as well as learning from others who have flown before us.
So today I’m interested in hearing not only about your wishes, but as the engineering student that I was, I’m interested in practical things that are being done. Also, about the things we can do together to achieve maximum success for you as students and for other young people who come after you, for your sisters and brothers, for your relatives and neighbors, who will be inspired of your achievements.
We, as a government, have expressed the wishes for the success of students from every community, but we have also proven our commitment in practical details to achieve this goal concretely.
We believe that in order to have as many successful students from communities in universities as possible, it should start from the first grade. Therefore, we invested 200,000 euros in learning centers last year and the same amount in 2022.
Perhaps some of you may have benefited from services at these centers that have helped you be here today.
After compulsory education, we have offered support to the students of the communities, who have expressed the desire to continue high school, in which case we have given 500 scholarships per year. I hope that some of you have benefited from this encouraging and helpful measure.
Then, we have ensured that university education is free for all students without exception and we have provided scholarships to cover other expenses that students have.
I know that some of you are among the 55 students who have benefited from the scholarships for the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities that we have shared this year as part of a collaboration between the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation and the Ministry of Power Administration Bar.
We have also awarded over 4,880 scholarships to women and girls students in the fields of: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics or STEM as they are known by the corresponding acronym for short.
Deputy Minister Taulant Kelmendi informed us today that a contract for funds was signed yesterday for Lendrit Çeku, the first Egyptian in Kosovo for doctoral studies.
So, in addition to continuing the good works and increasing them, we must also open new chapters in the joint development for education, not only as wide as possible, but also as deep and qualitative as possible.
We have heard about successful strategies for mentoring during studies and I am glad that “Ukshin Hoti” University has participated in the round table for the exchange of good practices for student support, together with non-governmental organizations that have initiatives successful.
I hope you can tell me more about that during the conversation today. This type of assistance is part of the initiatives undertaken by the inter-institutional team for the promotion of the employment of the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities, which we established in 2022.
We as the Government value diversity as an asset for a country, we are proud that every year we have more students from different communities in our public universities and more graduates in our labor market.
We hope that you are also proud as students of such a university, proud of what you are achieving for yourself and your families and for the contribution you can make to the community, society and the state.
In the words of the poet Paçaku, I wish you flights and flights in the endless sky.
Thank you.
Last modified: April 2, 2024