| ALBANIAN LANGUAGE EDUCATION IN KOSOVA
1990 - Present
April 1990 - The Serb regime removes all the Albanian students from the Prishtina
University dorms. The students continue their studies thanks to the generosity of the
Prishtina homeowners.
August 1990 - After the durmitories, the UP Medical School became the next target of the
Serb regime. The police forces invade all the clinics of the Medical School and force the
Albanian students out.
September 1990 - Only the freshmen were allowed to enter the Medical School objects. No
classes were allowed, in other words, the College closed down. The professors had been
laid of already.
November 1990 - The student center (Residence Halls) reopened. However, all the Serb
students chose the most modern building and moved in it, not allowing the Albanian
students to even get close to it. (Note: there weren‚t enough Serb students to fill
half of this building). Segregation started.
June 1991 - To protest against the repressive measures against the Albanian education in
general, a general hunger strike was started in the Technical College building. After 10
hours, police forces broke off the strike.
June 28, 1991 - Serbian Communist Parliament unconstitutionally applied „special
measures" on the UP.These measures "fired" 260 Albanian University
professors.
August 21, 1991 - The Helsinki group in Vienna declared that the Albanian Language
Education system in Yugoslavia is destroyed.
August 26, 1991 - The Serb Rector invites all the Serbs from Krajina, Croatia (today
Krajina doesn‚t exist) to come and study in Kosova. He promised loans, apartments and
more to people that accepted this offer.
August 1991 - In one month, 6000 Albanian teachers had been laid off .
September 2, 1991 - Police forces one more time prevent the Albanian high school students
from entering their school objects.
September 10, 1991 - Albanian Education League „Naim Frasheri" organized a
peaceful protest against the violence applied towards the Albanian system of education.
There was police intervention in a few cases. A policeman in Istog wounded a young boy.
September 23, 1991 - More than 2000 University professors and High School Teachers
gathered in front of College of Philosophy to protest. The protest was stopped violently
by police forces.
October 1-4, 1991 - Students gather in front of their school objects but they‚re not
allowed in. There was police interventions and arrests. Minister of Education, Muhamet
Bicaj decides to delay the start of the new school year until October 16th, 1991.
October 16, 1991 - Students were not allowed inside again. In the same day, the Serbian
Communist Parliament illegally suspended the Academy of Arts and Sciences of Kosova.
October 18, 1991 - The Ministry of Education of Kosova decides to put on hold the
education process until further notice. This is when a large number of students, mostly
males, started to leave Kosova and search for education abroad. The draft calls to the
Serbian Army were the other reason for leaving.
October 25, 1991 - All the writings in Albanian were removed from the University
buildings.
December 11, 1991 - Dr. Ejup Statovci is elected the new Rector of the University.
January 2, 1992 - Dr. Statovci writes a letter to the world leaders and to the Yugoslav
Federal Authorities. The response he receives is a 60 day prison sentence. Meanwhile, the
schools are still closed.
January 18, 1991 - Ministry of Education of Kosova decides that the education process will
resume in private objects, on January 20, 1992.
January 22-25, 1992 - Protests for five days in a row demanding release of Dr. Statovci.
January 29, 1992 - Mr. Statovci is released. Right after his release, he reaffirms his
stands on the rights of Albanians for Education in their own language.
February 10, 1992 - The Association of Albanian Teachers protests against the Serbization
of the Prishtina University.
February 17, 1992 - The education process resumes in private houses.
October 12, 1992 - Massive demonstrations all over Kosova. In Prishtina, more than 100,000
people gathered in front of College of Philosophy. They all wanted one thing, their school
objects. This protest was also broken up violently by the Serbian police forces. This was
the last protest. (Five years ago)
April 1996 - A Serb civilian shoots Albanian student Armend Daci dead. This started a
series of enigmatic attacks toward Serb police officers/collaborators and a series of
detonations in Serbian police stations.
August 1996 - The American official, Kornblum stated that secret Albanian/Serb
negotiations are taking place.
September 2, 1996 - The "Education Agreement" is signed between Kosova
President, Dr. Rugova and Milosevic. This agreement was never implemented. More
frustration caused on the Albanian side.
March 1997 - The Student Union of University of Prishtina publicly asks Mr. Rugova to
declare that the „Education Agreement" was a failure. Dr. Rugova had refused a
meeting with the students earlier in February.
August 1997 - The Student Union of University of Prishtina initiates the demand for
unconditional return of the school objects. Meetings are held all over Kosova. Dr. Rugova
finally agrees to meet the students. He gives them his support for the protests.
September 9, 1997 - The Organizational Council is formed in Prishtina. This council
consists of 5 students and 4 professors.
September 15, 1997 - The council composes the Platform of the Protests.
September 26, 1997 - Dr. Rugova suggests a delay of the protests. The response of The
Organizational Council said „ Any attempt to interfere with the student initiative is
unacceptable and will not be considered".
September 29, 1997 - Another meeting of the Organizational Council with Dr. Rugova. The
date of protests remains the same, OCTOBER 1, 1997.
October 1, 1997 - Peaceful demonstrations are held in many places in Kosova. Serb riot
forces intervened in most major Kosova cities. More than 200 protesters get hurt. Members
of the Organizational Council and many protesters get arrested but they get released later
on during the day. All the international monitors agree that there was no need for violent
intervention by police forces. The protests are postponed until further notice.
October 16, 1997 - The Independent Unions of the Albanian Language University of Prishtina
announced today that the student peaceful protests which began on October 1, and were
postponed after the consultations with a delegation of Contact Group representatives, will
proceed. They set October 29 as a date for peaceful protests.
October 29, 1997 - Students and teachers of the Albanian- language University of Prishtina
held a one-hour protest in the Kosova capital and half a dozen towns in the country, where
schools/colleges affiliated with the University are located. No violence used towards the
students in Prishtina, however, they were prevented from peacefully marching through the
city. The student leaders claimed that the student protests will continue until the
demands are fulfilled. In most of the other cities in Kosova, the protests were broken off
by police.
December 30, 1997 - Huge Serbian riot police forces cracked down a peaceful student
protest in Prishtina, capital city of the Republic of Kosova. Scores of protesters were
been reported beaten up and injured when police waded in and broke up peaceful protests,
some of them even before the manifestation was to start at 11:00 AM.
February 13, 1997 - A Press-Release by the Student union states this: ” Students
Independent Union of the Albanian University of Prishtina, on March 13th, 1998 is going to
organize peaceful, nonviolent, students' protests. The intention of these protests is the
release with no conditions of university premises and university room-space for delivering
instructions in the Albanian language, as they have been occupied by Serbian regime since
1991." |
