Pristina, 24 April, 2023
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, participated in the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding for the launch of the activity supported by USAID of the Partnership with the private sector for the strengthening of higher education, where the Minister of Education, Science, of Technology and Innovation, Arbërie Nagavci.
On this occasion, Prime Minister Kurti said that this activity aims to strengthen partnerships between the private sector and the academic institutions of our Republic.
We are pleased that our already excellent relationship with the state of Iowa will be further strengthened with the involvement of two Iowa-based universities: the University of Iowa and Iowa State University, he said, adding that a particular focus will be on ICT and agriculture study programs to respond to the specific needs of our labor market.
Cooperation between the public, private sector and civil society is essential for the development and implementation of effective policies and strategies that address social challenges and that such cooperation also promotes innovation and economic growth and increases the quality of life of our citizens, Prime Minister Kurti said.
Our government is ready to cooperate so that Kosovo shines on all fronts. We have shown remarkable progress in pursuing our democratic reform agenda. This has been well documented by reports from international organizations over the past two years. Here I will mention only some of the successes. The EU report for the year 2022 on Kosovo shows that there is no area without noticeable progress and no area with noticeable regression. Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index shows that Kosovo has improved by 20 places in just two years,” said the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Kurti also stated that the Government has also made record investments in education and employment for young people, mentioning the bachelor’s and master’s programs in our public universities, which are already free of charge. He said that they have funded three thousand scholarships to encourage students to pursue higher education, both in Kosovo and abroad.
Prime Minister Kurti announced that they are in the middle of creating the Investment and Export Agency within the Office of the Prime Minister, in which agency a business intelligence platform with more data will be integrated. Therefore, Prime Minister Kurti said, I would encourage you and all other relevant donor-funded projects to coordinate with our efforts to share and evaluate relevant data.
The signing of these three agreements between the University of Iowa, and the University of Pristina, “Hasan Prishtina”, the University of Prizren, “Ukshin Hoti”, and the University of Peja, “Haxhi Zeka”, was made in the presence of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, the American ambassador in Kosovo, Jeffrey M. Hovenier, and the director of USAID in Kosovo, Zeinah Salahi.
Prime Minister Kurti’s complete speech:
Your Excellency, U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Kosova, Mr. Jeffrey Hovenier,
Dear Mission Director of USAID Kosova, Madam Zeinah Salahi,
Dear Associate Provost, University of Iowa, Dr. Russ Ganim,
Dear Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Arbërie Nagavci,
Dear Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development, Faton Peci,
Dear Rector of the University of Prishtina “Hasan Prishtina”, Prof. Qerim Qerimi,
Dear Rector of the University of Prizren “Ukshin Hoti”, Prof. Samedin Krrabaj,
Dear Rector of the University of Peja “Haxhi Zeka”, Dr. Armand Krasniqi,
Distinguished guests, esteemed colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,
It’s both a pleasure and an honor to participate in the launch of this new and vital initiative. This activity sets out to strengthen partnerships between the private sector and academic institutions of our Republic. It will also support the development of market-oriented learning. As a result, we’re happy that our already-excellent relationship with the state of Iowa will be strengthened even further by the involvement of two Iowa-based universities: the University of Iowa and Iowa State University. A centerpiece of this new project involves deepening connections between industry experts and partner universities. There will be a special focus on ICT and agricultural study programs, to answer the specific needs of our labor market.
Cooperation between the public, private and civil-society sectors is essential for the development and implementation of effective policies and strategies that address societal challenges. Such cooperation also promotes innovation and economic growth; and it enhances our citizens’ quality of life. Education is a critical driver of economic development as it fosters the acquisition of skills, knowledge, and innovation that enable individuals and communities to thrive in a dynamic economy, both locally and internationally.
Our government stands ready to cooperate in order for Kosova to excel on all fronts. We’ve shown tremendous progress in pursuing our democratic reform agenda. This has been well-documented by the reports of international organizations over the past two years. I’ll mention just a few of the successes here. The EU’s 2022 Report for Kosova shows that there is no area without marked progress, and no area with noticeable regress. Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index demonstrates that Kosova has improved by 20 places in just two years. According to Reporters Without Borders’ Media Freedom Index 2022, Kosova has improved by 17 places, which is a record improvement in one year, and the highest ranking in the last decade. And according to the World Bank’s Technology Maturity Index, Kosova rose from Group C to Group B for our focus on digital governance.
Our Government has also made record-setting investments in education and employment for young adults. All bachelor’s and master’s programs at our public universities are now free of charge. We have also funded three thousand scholarships to encourage students to pursue higher education both in Kosova and abroad. Importantly, we have targeted many of these scholarships toward women and girls, as well as toward disadvantaged communities, such as Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian students. Over 1,300 scholarships for STEM fields in the academic year 2021/22, and, this year we have doubled the budget to 2 million euros for 2000 STEM scholarships. 500 scholarships were awarded to high school students from the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities. On the employment side, this year we began providing financial incentives to private-sector employers to hire 18–25-year-olds who are new to the labor market. In less than three months, this program — which we have called “Superpuna” — has already resulted in over 2000 new jobs for young people. They are now enjoying their first-ever pay-checks.
So, we’re not doing bad.
And this new USAID-funded activity will build significantly on our successes thus far. I wanted to touch specifically on a few of the important benefits that I believe this activity can bring.
Increasing universities’ analytic capabilities and access to labor market data is crucial to the success of our students in the workforce. By collaborating with the private and public sector, universities can develop a better understanding of current and future job market trends. This will enable them to tailor their curricula to meet the needs of employers. In addition, partnerships with the private sector can provide universities with access to vital labor-market data. This data can inform their research and academic programs, preparing students with the skills and knowledge necessary to excel in their careers.
We’re in the midst of creating the Investment and Export Agency within the Office of the Prime Minister. A big-data business intelligence platform will be integrated into this Agency. I would encourage you and all other relevant donor-funded projects to align with our efforts on sharing and assessing the relevant data.
The Tax Administration, Customs, Agriculture Development Agency, along with many other institutions, hold a lot of important sectoral data that can be analyzed and used for policy-making. Doing so would significantly reduce red tape and bureaucracy.
Furthermore, strengthening partnerships between universities and the private sector can enable curriculum development that aligns with market demand. By working together, universities and private-sector partners can identify the skills and knowledge that are most in demand, allowing them to tailor academic programs to meet the demands of the market.
Perhaps the only thing which is more important than education and economy is the link between the two. And as we participate in different kinds of debates and engage in talking to people we notice regularly that every time we start to talk about education we end up talking about economy, and when we start talking about the economy we end up talking about education. So this bridge between the two is crucial for further and sustainable progress.
Here also we have a TVET – Technical Vocational Education and Training Council, which I chair, as well as a TVET Agency within the Education Ministry. There are also seven regional TVET centers within the Employment Agency of the Ministry of Finance. Again, strong cooperation, communication and coordination are necessary to ensure that redundancies are avoided.
In addition, enhancing interconnectivity and effectiveness in student experiential learning can be achieved through partnerships between universities and the private sector. Such partnerships can provide students with opportunities to engage in real-world projects and gain practical experience, enabling them to apply their academic learning to practical settings. By engaging with the private sector, students can learn about the latest developments in their fields of study, thereby enhancing their skills and preparing them for their future careers.
Finally, the new partnerships between Iowa and Kosova universities and the private sector can enable demand-driven research in ICT and agricultural programs in service of the market.
These collaborations are essential to enhancing the effectiveness of academic programs and improving student experiential learning. We look forward to witnessing how this initiative will enable our students to excel and to contribute to the growth and development of our economy and of our cooperation.
Thank you very much.
Last modified: April 25, 2023