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First ever dual language university courses in south Serbia

RTS1 - Opening of first bi-lingual faculty in Medvedja

On October 12th, two Nis University departments opened branches in Medvedja which now provide bi-lingual lectures in both Serbian and Albanian. “The opening of the faculty departments was a huge step in solving problems in the municipality, said Prime Minister Cvetkovic at the ceremony.

The opening of a higher learning educational institution in this part of Serbia is part of a broader effort to boost economic development in South Serbia. It is one of the strategic priorities of the Coordinating Body and the Serbian government, whose aim is to support all ethnic communities living there, and to provide them with a good education in both Serbian and Albanian.

Previously, Serbian high school graduates had to go to either Nis or Belgrade to pursue their studies, while students from southern Serbia wishing to study in Albanian needed to go to Kosovo, Macedonia or Albania. Now both Serbian and Albanian students can attend an accredited university and pursue studies in their native languages in Medvedja.

This marks the first time that ethnically Albanian students in southern Serbia will be able to obtain nationally recognized degrees while taking their courses in Albanian. USAID helped make this possible by funding the translation of course textbooks from Serbian to Albanian. Prime Minister Cvetković reiterated that Albanians made up one-quarter of the population in the municipality and that the opening of the faculty would help Albanian integration in the community.

It will also slow the migration of young people from the region who used to leave to pursue opportunities elsewhere and will supply local businesses in the area with a pool of talented young people who will go on to make up the future workforce to drive the economic development of this region.

The President of the Coordinating Body for Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja and Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government Milan Markovic and the Minister of Education Zarko Obradovic presented the first university booklets to students. On behalf of 50 freshmen, out of whom nine will study in Albanian, Razije Jakupi, a student of law, and Rade Petrovic, a student of economics, expressed their thanks. Razije and Rade stressed that this was the only possibility for them to study. “As of this year, even Albanians can study in their native language and stay to live here in Medvedja”, said Razija. “For us this means a lot, since we would not be able to afford to study elsewhere. It also means a lot for this area as these faculties will help this poor municipality retain its educated workforce on its territory”, added Rade.

“I strongly believe we will soon be able to apply this model also in the municipalities of Bujanovac and Presevo. A feasibility study is currently being conducted which should highlight the best model for higher education and which should meet the needs of the Bujanovac and Presevo municipalities,” said the prime minister. He underscored that, “The government’s priority is to invest into the economy, and the reopening of the Lece mine, next to Medvedje, and the reconstruction of the Leskovac – Medvedja road are expected soon”.

Minister Markovic also announced the opening of the Ombudsman’s permanent offices in those three Municipalities, in order to make it easier for local residents to raise their concerns on issues important for their communities. He added that the Serbian government had invested 158 million dinars in the building of infrastructure facilities in the three southern Serbian municipalities and added that another 68 million dinars would be invested by the end of the year.