23/06/2016
Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS) in cooperation with the Institute for Peace Building and Human Rights at Columbia University. have organized the conference on the role of education in preventing violent extremism, About the role of education in combating and prevention of extremism their views have shared Professor David L. Phillips of Columbia University, Dr. Dukagjin Pupovci from the Kosova Education Centre, the director of the Albanian Centre for Good Governance - Arben Çejku and Dr. Florian Qehaja the executive director of KCSS.
The aim of the event was to exchange opinions with experts of education, policymakers and members of civil society about the role of education in preventing and combating violent extremism, and the steps that can be taken in this regard.
In this case, the executive director of KCSS Florian Qehaja said that the security aspect is just one of the elements on preventing violent extremism. The role of education, on his opinion, is one of the areas that KCSS identified and that can be a problem in the growth of violent extremism because education in Kosovo still lacks on quality and does not promote critical thinking and debate in the classroom. This has contributed that some radicalized imams become more attractive than the teachers for a group of teenagers. "By working actively in order to increase the quality of education we can influence the prevention of violent extremism," said Qehaja.
Professor David Phillips of Columbia University, who came from New York to join the conference, said in this case that education has a vital role but lack on education cannot be the only cause that affects the radicalization of young people.
According to him, the reasons why young people are finding comfort in religion and radical groups is the fact that they feel hopeless and lack of opportunities for their life. According to him, the lack of opportunities in Kosovo are caused by a range of factors such as social and economic, but also for the fact that Kosovo is not yet recognized by the entire international community as a sovereign and independent state. "It is important that Kosovo will be fully integrated into European institutions. I find it terrible that there are still EU countries that do not recognize Kosovo. Its integration must be completed and it is up to the EU to liberalize visas. Therefore action in this regard is the minimum that the EU can do”, said Phillips. During his presentation, Professor Philips commented on the New York Times article that calls Kosovo "fertile ground of SIS" by calling the article exaggerated and unrealistic in relation to Kosovo. More about the situation of education in Kosovo, but also the steps to be taken that the education system in Kosovo, including programs for the prevention of extremism has spoken the director of the Kosovo Centre for Education, Dr. Dukagjin Pupovci. He highlighted a number of shortcomings in the education system in Kosovo by mention that undergone reforms where made only in terms of infrastructure but not in three needed levels: resources, processes and structures in education. “First, we must have teachers who are able to exceed their own prejudices, because often our teachers are not able to manage them and when sensitive topics appear in the classroom, instead of debating these issues, they flee from those. This creates a dilemma by the children and affects children to look elsewhere for the answers and the debate regarding their dilemmas”, said Pupovci. Curricula and schoolbooks, according to him, should promote tolerance and multiple access. While he highlighted the emphasized need that teachers should encourage critical thinking and debate in the classrooms so they increase the skills of young people to divide right from wrong and to solve problems.
Otherwise, Arben Çejku from the Albanian Centre for Good Governance has said that Albania already is making concrete steps to combat violent extremism through education. However, he said that since 2015 not a single number of citizen from Albania was reported join the extremist organization in the war of Syria and Iraq. Çejku spoke also about the involvement of religious education in the curricula of education in Albania which still has a broad debate in Albania, he has expressed his belief that in September the government will have a concrete decision about this issues. Otherwise the conference was also attended by a number of personalities from the Ministry of Education, the State Prosecution, and a range of local and international organizations who have contributed to the debate by exchanging their opinions about the role of education in preventing violent extremism.
This activity organized by KCSS where in course of activities and efforts to increase partnership and collaboration in the purpose of preventing violent extremism.
