NAO: Student Safety Requires Concrete Measures and Interinstitutional Cooperation

The National Audit Office (NAO) organized a workshop on Wednesday, during which it presented the findings and recommendations of the performance audit report, “Student Safety in Public Schools in Kosovo.”

In addition to senior NAO officials, the meeting was attended by Minister of Education and Science Hajrulla Çeku, Kosovo Police Director Gazmend Hoxha, Deputy Ombudsperson Anita Çavdarbasha-Korenica, and representatives of the responsible institutions, municipalities, and civil society organizations working in the field of education. Participants discussed the audit’s conclusions and the importance of institutional coordination in improving safety in public schools.

Auditor General Vlora Spanca stressed that ensuring student safety cannot be left to a single institution. According to her, it requires a continuous chain of responsibility and cooperation among institutions. Spanca said mechanisms have been established and initiatives developed to improve safety in schools, but they do not yet operate as a coordinated, standardized, and fully effective system.

She emphasized that ensuring children’s safety requires the implementation of the audit recommendations, better interinstitutional coordination, comprehensive reporting of cases, and a swift, joint response. Spanca said the NAO would monitor the implementation of the recommendations, expressing the expectation that institutional commitments would translate into concrete, measurable, and sustainable measures.

Minister of Education and Science Hajrulla Çeku praised the NAO’s work in conducting the audit and described school safety as one of the most important issues facing Kosovo’s education system. He said the report’s findings and recommendations provide a useful roadmap for improving work and performance. Çeku stressed that responsibility for safety is shared and that creating a safe environment requires everyone’s involvement. According to him, the audit was published at an important time, as the Ministry of Education has begun drafting the Education Strategy, for which he sought the input and support of all parties.

Kosovo Police Director Gazmend Hoxha said school safety remains a priority for the Kosovo Police and a key pillar in building a secure future for our society. He said schools serve not only to educate children, but also as places where they shape their personalities, develop their skills, and prepare for the future. Hoxha emphasized that creating and maintaining a safe, peaceful, and inclusive environment in educational institutions is a shared responsibility, while the police remain committed to fulfilling this mission.

Deputy Ombudsperson Anita Çavdarbasha-Korenica presented the work of the Ombudsperson Institution from a human rights perspective. She spoke about the initiatives undertaken, the results achieved, and the recommendations addressed to the responsible institutions. Çavdarbasha-Korenica said that, with regard to children’s rights and based on the standards of the European Court of Human Rights, safety must come before education, and therefore everyone must work together toward this goal.

The audit results were presented in detail by Ariana Gjonbalaj, Director of the Audit Department. During the discussion, representatives of the responsible institutions, municipalities, and civil society organizations working in education focused on the report’s findings and the implementation of the audit recommendations.

At the end of the workshop, Deputy Auditor General Bezad Halilaj said the participants had praised the report and its results. He stressed that the NAO’s recommendations are valuable and can help the responsible institutions take the necessary measures to improve safety in Kosovo’s schools, describing this as a shared mission.