Kosovo Education Agency's Expulsion Angers Opposition MPs

The opposition Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK and Vetevendosje parties in Kosovo have gathered 40 MPs' signatures demanding an extraordinary parliamentary session to discuss the Kosovo Accredition Agency's exclusion from the European Quality Assurance Register, EQAR, following the dismissal of its board.

The agency examines where university-level instututions in the country adhere to international standards in higher education and accredits them accordingly.

The exclusion of Kosovo from the EQAR may mean that Kosovo students no longer find their diplomas and degrees recognised in other European countries.

The opposition parties said they sought a full debate on "the arbitrary and illegal decision of the government, which led to the expulsion of Kosovo's Accreditation Agency from the European Register for Quality in Higher Education," the head of LDK parliamentary group, Avdullah Hoti, wrote on Thursday on Facebook.

The EQAR said the independence of Kosovo's Accreditation Agency's had been compromised when the Ministry of Education axed the agency's board and director last September.

"As a consequence of the dismissal by the Minister of the KAA Board, the agency is no longer able to 'act autonomously' and is no longer in a position to assume 'full responsibility for [its] operations'," the EQAR decision said.

Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj sought the board's removal, arguing that the process of accrediting higher education institutions in the country had been accompanied by "serious irregularities".

But the EQAR said it was concernced that "the KAA itself is not aware which 'irregularities' were held against its former Board members.

"Even after two attempts to receive clarification by the [Education] Minister, the...