Non Formal Education and Human Resource Development in Kosovo

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to assess the development of non-formal
education in Kosovo and its impact in the educational development of individuals in particular and in the general development of human resources in Kosovo. The research covers the progress with this type of educational attainment and provides an overview of interrelated factors such as social, economic, political, cultural, educational, historical, etc. In the majority of European Union’ countries, nonformal education is recognized as a core element of lifelong learning and an effective way for preparing individuals in facing and overcoming everyday challenges. The Human Development Index (HDI) lists Kosovo among medium human development countries, but the lowest among countries of Europe. The HDI is not measured systematically in Kosovo. The latest HDI measurement dates 2004 and ranks Kosovo with an index of 0.734. The figure is extracted from components such as life expectancy index, education attainment index and adjusted GDP index. Kosovo is facing enormous challenges in its economic development and it is
actually labelled as the poorest state in Europe, comparable to countries in Africa. The gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in 2007 was merely € 1’573 and the economic growth is quite slow, with a growth of only 5.4 percent marked in 2008. The Human Development Index (HDI) lists Kosovo among medium human development countries, but the lowest among countries of Europe. The HDI is not measured systematically in Kosovo. The latest HDI measurement dates 2004 and ranks Kosovo with an index of 0.734. The figure is extracted from components such as life expectancy index, education attainment index and adjusted GDP index.  In addition, the education attainment doesn’t paint a good picture neither. Whereas primary school enrolment is high (95 percent), secondary enrolment (75 percent) and tertiary enrolment (16 percent) are quite low. The main problems   encountered are retention and high drop-out rates, but also quality of teaching and inadequate schools. Education attainment is particularly of concern for certain specific categories of the population such as women and members of minority communities. Illiteracy is an enormous concern with 2.3 percent of men and 10.2 percent of women below 15 years illiterate.