With the participation of heads of institutions and stakeholders of higher education, on 25.01.2022 in Pristina, the Kosovo Accreditation Agency (KAA) has presented the one-year work and its strategic plan.

In her message, the President of the State Council of Quality (SCQ), prof. Hasnija Ilazi reiterated the commitment of the SCQ and KAA to work and cooperate with all relevant local and international institutions and organizations to increase the quality of higher education in Kosovo and meet all criteria for regaining membership to the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) and the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR).

On his part, the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Mr. Albin Kurti, stated that the steps taken so far will provide the Accreditation Agency with full independence from political interference, while the Government’s goal will be to provide support for the return of membership in the European Quality Assurance Association in Higher Education (ENQA) and the European Register for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (EQAR).

The head of the Government praised the work of the Accreditation Agency over the past year by operating with full transparency.

In her address, the Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), Arbërie Nagavci emphasized that the support to KAA is also a governing priority. “In line with the Dynamic Plan, I am satisfied with the achievements of the KAA to meet most of the criteria required for return to ENQA and EQAR. I am convinced that the cooperation of all stakeholders in higher education is needed for our return to these two international organizations”, said the Minister of Education.

The Chairman of the Parliamentary Commission for Education, Science, Technology, Innovation, Culture, Youth and Sports, Ardian Gola, said that in order for the challenges to be translated into opportunities, we need quality education, otherwise the challenges remain insurmountable obstacles. “We have just passed the Draft Law on KAA in the Parliamentary Committee and we are waiting for the contribution of the MPs to adopt a law which clearly defines the responsibilities, role, authorizations, competencies and mandate of the KAA”, said the Chairman of the Education Committee.

The Acting Head of the EU Office, Ms. AnnaCarin Platon, said that “I congratulate the Accreditation Agency for the good work and overcoming the challenges in the last two years. I am impressed with your achievements, especially when we consider the large workload and the limited number of staff of the Agency. I believe that this good work will continue towards regaining membership in the two EU institutions for quality assurance.”

The director of KAA, Naim Gashi, said that despite the great challenges with the pandemic, the accreditation process has been successfully completed and a lot of work has been done to address the recommendations for return to ENQA and EQAR. In the presentation of the work of KAA he emphasized the achievements of KAA so far as well as priorities of SCQ and KAA for the period 2021-25 in raising the quality of higher education.