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Life in Kosovo debates discusses School school Textbookstextbooks

13 05 2010  Life in Kosovo broadcasted a debate on the quality and accuracy of school textbooks in Kosovo.

Questions covered in the show focused on newly printed primary and high school textbooks: In past few days, some 300,000 school textbooks for primary and high schools in Kosovo have been printed. What is’s the quality of the textbooks?

Are there any scientific inaccuracies? How much information is included in them? Are they suited  suitable for their target age groups? Do these they textbooks encourage the new generation to think critically, or learn information off by heart?

In order to discuss these and other related issues, host Jeta Xharra was joined in the studio by the following guests on Jeta Xharra’s studio were:

Resmije Kryeziu, Prishtina Institute of AlbanologyAlbanological Institute of Prishtina

Jusuf Thaci, author of an analytical report on school textbooks by BIRN’s analysis on school textbooks

Frasher Demaj, history school textbook author
Nehat Mustafa, Advisor on pre-university studies at the Ministry of Education, Science and
Technology, (MASHT)

Starting the debate, with the author of the school textbooks analysis, Jusuf Thaci, who has spent 9 months, analyzing analysing those school textbooks, was was asked to present describe the most greatest inaccuracies that he found had uncoveredin his analysis.

Jusuf Thaci He replied thatstarted by claiming that after the complaints of many students, parents, and teachers, we saw the need to monitor those textbooks, which has been republished three or more times.


Furthermore, he added that the main problem found in those textbooks is was the scientific inaccuracy.

“As we have notedFor example, in history textbooks, the Napoleon Bonaparte’s date of birth on Napoleon Bonaparte is not correct, nor are also the relevant dates of for Alexander the Great is not correct, in the history textbooks,” continued ThaciMr Thaci said.

Another example he, claimed Thacito have , found seen in on textbooks is was the the incorrect wrong number of planets and continents in the Ggeography textbooks; .

Further, he mentioned also the material written in those textbooks has been seen as very the inclusion of “very provocative” material, and such as an example of this, is the a wrong representation of the five pillars of Islam, placed on the in History a sixt grade history textbook for 6th grade students.


After the author noted this Islamic inaccuracyIn support of his claims, he Mr Thaci said that he had has contacted at over least nine other sourcesexperts , from both the Western and Islamic world, and few others from the Eastern world in order to prove verify that the facts contents of this history textbook regarding Islam were incorrect.in the History 6 textbook are wrong.

Specifically, the The first pillar of the Islam – , the testimony of faith- (Shahadah) – is not placed in includedthe textbook, where whilst as an additional pillar is added “to participate in a fighting against the non-religious onespeople,”, was added, despite a fact that does not existing in any authoritative Islamic literature or non-Islamic literature.

Whenmentioning the this addition, Mr Thaci said that last pillar which is added to the Islam pillars, “it can is easy to see be easily noted that it this promotes hatred, which is not in accordance with the law in Kosovo; the law prohibits any school textbook material from containing any material which that promotes hatred,” .”added Thaci.

Frasher Demaj, the author of the History history textbook in question does did not agrees with the Mr Thaci’s claims charges.

First of all, he congratulated BIRN for the great effort put in the school textbooks, and saying  claimed that “first, I’m one of the persons people who drafted the Kosovo’s curriculacurriculums,  and have been told by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology that the approved curriculums  by them, are they were appropriate for the students.,” added Demaj.

Furthermore, the author of BIRN’s analysis, Jusuf Mr Thaci then , continued by referring to his criticism of textbooks by speaking about how “overloaded” they seemthe overloaded school textbooks, as they include “. He added that the school textbooks are overloaded with too many numbers (digits), statistics, and names, ”.

According to government curriculaand according to the curricula by the Ministry, it resulted that for each class, students are required to learn more than 60 numbers numerical facts (digits) for in only one lecture.

Thus, continued Thaci, aAfter finishing the ninth ninth grade, students are required to take an a standardised exit (state) examination, where for which students are they are required to supposed to know have memorised those numbers and statistics. So, added Thaci, that the exams should not be only
objective.

Furthermore, Resmije Kryeziu, from the Institute of Albanology Albanological Institute of in Prishtina, who has also been involved in monitoring textbook monitoring such studies since 2008, and added that the “school textbooks need to be revised, because a number of a letter, cannot simple be a technical mistakesaid that there are problems .“”

She also said that especially the with History history textbooks containing consist many disproportional information.”

For example, “many of the enemies of the Albanian nation are described in over numerous long pages, where whilst other important events, battles and movements are just noted only shortlybriefly, without giving any background information what about what led lead toward to that the events,” claimed she said.

While, she She went on to mention a 2008 continued referring to studyies done for of Albanian language literature used in primary and secondary schools, a study done in 2008, where in which many intolerable mistakes have been were found., complaining that

For example, she said, “only one form type of written text to be for is included for students to analyzed analyseis use, because only the same people are involved in accrediting the curricula for textbooks, who are always present in all books used in the educational system, throughout the education system”. added she.

Nehat Mustafa, an advisor of pre-university studies at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, greeted thanked Jusuf Thaci for the author of the BIRN analysis, analysis of textbooks, saying that it which will encourage the authors of the school textbooks to work better more efficiently in the future, and also will help a lot the Ministry ministry to know work out what actions to take regarding textbooks, added Mustafa.

“We have a lack of such analysisanalyses, which are needed more and more by University university departments and Institutesinstitutes, in order to monitor the textbooks used in our educational system, and overcome the inaccuracies that can be presented included by the authors,” continued Mr Mustafa continued.

“Every time the education minister has changed, all textbook authors have feared that their work might be removed from usage, but we are not trying to remove textbooks just because the minister might not have liked them personally.

Instead, we draw up curricula in accordance with the latest educational developments and techniques, in order for students to receive knowledge in the most appropriate way.”

“Every time when a Minister of Education has been changed, all the textbooks authors had feared that their textbooks might be removed from usage, but we are not trying to remove the textbooks just because the Minister might not liked them, but we are making curricula’s in accordance with the latest educational developments and techniques, in order the students to get the knowledge in an appropriate way,” claimed Mustafa.

In addition, continued Mr Mustafa then apologised, saying that “we are responsible for not
contacting a specialized specialist company that would have had observed those the inaccuracies
found in by your [BIRN’s] analysis.”


He later followed this up by saying that the Ministry of Education will focus on this issue for
the next three months, ensuring that the next set of textbooks will contain corrections of the problems described in BIRN’s analysis.”

When asked by the moderator, where whether students get are asked the same questions on in the exams, on the same topics as the they study in information stated on the textbooks, Mr Mustafa said replied that every year, immediately after the exams each year, when students have been asked about the exam, students have expressed all have been quite satisfied satisfaction with the questions of the exam.

And Further on the issue of standardised while mentioning the state examinations, Mr Mustafa said that Kosovo is the only European country in Europe that publishes the results only after only three months.

“They I cannot don’t say that the examination exams areis perfect, but they we are constantly working on itthem, . and for In only two years, we have made a huge progress in with this these examsexamination.,” he concluded.

Week’s Highlight

After a discussion between the panelists on overloaded material in the textbooks, the representative of the Ministry of Education, Mustafa, argued that the ministry is working currently, and will constantly work during the next three months to make sure that the next editions of published textbooks, will have corrected the inaccuracies found in the analyses of Jusuf Thaci.

Following the debate, under the section Week’s Highlights, Isa Gacaferi presented gave a report about EULEX’s investigations into corruption.

He presented the a statement of by the the EULEX prosecutor, Johannes van Vreeswijk, who has gave told a comment for the daily newspaper Koha Ditore, that “I call the ones those who have had, or are still having have, any connection with corruption, to start sweating.

It might help them for in the future.” Journalist Edona Musa talked about the specialisations of students at the University Clinical Centre.

Justice in Kosovo

Finally, in the section Justice in Kosovo, journalist Faton Ademi talked about the decision of by Lipjan the Municipality of Lipjan to destroy temporary buildings that are located on along the a railroadrailway line, for which the buildings’ owners have asked for compensation.

The BIRN publication in Albanian language “Problems and Inaccuracies in School Textbooks”, which was launched on May 7, 2010, during a conference, can be downloaded in the following website www.jetanekosove.com (in Albanian only)..






Life in Kosovo is a co-production between Kosovo Public Television, RTK and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN. It is broadcast every Thursday, starting at 20:20.