MEDIA RELEASES

The children’s group “Respect Our Rights – ROR” and the Children’s Assemblies demand urgent action from educational institutions to provide textbooks for all students Prishtina, October 22, 2021 The children’s group “ROR” and the Municipal Children’s Assemblies express concern about lack of textbooks in some schools in Kosovo. Despite the fact that the teaching process started almost a month ago, we, as the representative voice of the children of Kosovo, are constantly receiving information, requests and complaints from students and parents regarding the lack of textbooks for students of pre-university education (primary and medium low). The lack of textbooks and delays in their distribution represent a violation of the state’s positive obligations to protect the right to education; show a lack of coordination of the chain of educational institutions and cause multiple consequences for the students. The Ministry of Education and the Municipal Directorates of Education have legal obligations to provide and distribute the textbooks within the deadlines set by the Law and the administrative guidelines. Consequently, their failure to provide students with textbooks at the beginning of the school year is not only a legal violation, but also a violation of the state’s obligation to provide children with the right to free education. There can be no excuses, excuses or accusations from any institution for a routine process limited by law. Considering the situation with the pandemic and the extraordinary way of carrying out the teaching process, the provision of textbooks is the last burden that students should worry about. In such a situation, their absence adds even more anxiety and stress to children and increases the financial burden of families to provide children with the necessary textbooks. With the delay in distribution, the classes in the absence of texts are forced to postpone the lesson or to conduct it superficially without texts, which prevents the students from the necessary preparations; carry it out in a discriminatory manner for students who have books and those who do not or were forced to buy them themselves. All options are against the child and the institutions must have taken into account in advance the consequences for the children from inaction or inefficient actions. The ROR Group and the Municipal Assemblies of Children of Kosovo once again make an urgent appeal to all competent educational institutions for the provision and distribution of textbooks schools so that the textbooks for the children are provided as soon as possible and without delay. We express our willingness to cooperate in whatever aspect is required. Also, we ask the institutions to urgently review the administrative instructions regarding the equipment and storage of textbooks, and together with the children find a creative solution for the return of the previous textbooks from the students, as a problem identified and unresolved for many years. .Honestly,

ROR Group and Municipal Assemblies of Children