The State Matura Exam was held today at 55 testing centers across Kosovo.

According to an announcement by the Ministry of Education and Science, 5,033 candidates applied during this session through the eKosova platform. After the applications were reviewed and verified, 4,967 were approved.

During the administration of the exam, 18 candidates were expelled after being caught with phones, in violation of the rules governing the conduct and proper administration of the exam.

The Ministry expressed its gratitude to the commissioners, administrators and everyone involved who contributed to organizing and conducting the State Matura Exam.

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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.

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The National Audit Office has published the results of an audit titled “Student Safety in Public Schools in Kosovo,” covering grades VI-XII and the period from 2022 to 2025.

During the roundtable discussion, Audit Director Ariana Gjonbalaj said that 33% of the 771 students surveyed in Gjakova, Ferizaj and Pristina reported that they had experienced violence or bullying.

The audit data also show that 15% of the students surveyed do not feel comfortable reporting such cases.

The roundtable also addressed the most frequently raised requests, including screening students, installing more cameras and deploying additional guards, taking disciplinary measures, organizing anti-bullying activities, and increasing support from teachers and psychologists.

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After more than a year and a half of protests against the government and corruption, Serbia is heading toward snap parliamentary elections.

President Aleksandar Vučić announced that the vote is expected to take place on October 18 or 25, 2026.

In an interview with state broadcaster RTS, Vučić said that one of these two dates would be election day, while the final decision is expected to be made in the coming days.

Under the normal timetable, parliamentary elections would have been held in 2027.

The protests, led primarily by students, have continued for months, with demands concerning institutional accountability, the fight against corruption, and the holding of snap elections.

The student movement gained strength after the collapse of a canopy at the railway station in Novi Sad in November 2024, in which 16 people lost their lives.

Will Vučić return as prime minister?

The announcement of the elections comes at a time when Aleksandar Vučić’s political future remains one of the main issues in Serbia.

At the end of June, the Serbian president said he would step down and that the country would move toward snap elections.

However, he has not yet specified when he will resign in order to clear the way for presidential elections.

Meanwhile, speculation has been circulating for weeks that Vučić could return to the post of prime minister if the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) wins the parliamentary elections.

Vučić held the post from 2014 to 2017, before being elected president.

Analysts believe that a return to the head of government would enable him to retain political influence even after leaving the presidency.

Protests have shaken the government

The political crisis in Serbia erupted after the tragedy in Novi Sad, which developed into a broad student movement against corruption and Vučić’s style of governance.

Pressure from the protesters has been one of the main factors pushing the authorities toward discussing snap elections. Now, with the two dates on the table, the political battle is expected to enter a new phase.

If the elections are held on October 18 or 25, they will represent an important test for the SNS and for the student movement that has challenged Vučić’s government for months.

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The Ministry of Education and Science has extended the application deadline for the State Matura Exam so that students who meet the requirements to take the exam can also register.

According to the ministry’s announcement, applications will remain open until Monday, 24.08.2026, at 11:00 a.m. Applications will be approved on the same day, by 12:00 p.m.

So far, 4,650 students have registered for the State Matura Exam.

However, based on the results from the June session, the ministry estimates that around 1,000 students who are eligible to take the exam have not yet completed their applications.

The Ministry of Education and Science explains that the decision to extend the deadline is intended to give all potential candidates the opportunity to be included in the application process.

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Artificial intelligence-based tools created by young people, teachers and technology mentors in Kosovo aim to make the learning process more accessible and inclusive. The news was announced by UNICEF Kosovo.

These solutions were developed during a three-day hackathon in Ferizaj, attended by around 35 people. Four teams of students from the University of Pristina took part in the event, working with teachers, teaching assistants and children with disabilities.

The main focus was to find ways in which artificial intelligence could support teachers and assistants in inclusive classrooms, UNICEF said.

The problems addressed were identified by the teachers themselves. They included a lack of access to learning materials, limited knowledge of assistive technologies, difficulties in measuring the progress of students with disabilities, stigmatization, overcrowded classrooms and limited training opportunities.

During the program, the students analyzed these challenges and then worked on designing, testing and improving concrete tools.

“This unique experience gave me the opportunity to learn many new things, while also proving that even with basic skills, I can build meaningful solutions that have a positive impact on children’s lives,” said student Jona Dika.

The “MësoLehtë AI” tool won the award for best solution. Through this tool, teachers can upload a complex text and adapt it to the different needs of students. The platform offers content simplification at different levels, vocabulary explanations, quiz creation and a text-to-speech function in Albanian and English.

The other three teams presented solutions for individual education planning, converting materials into more accessible formats and tracking students’ progress.

UNICEF announced that the schools participating in the program will continue to receive technical support and mentoring, with the aim of improving and using the solutions that show potential.

The program also aims to increase young people’s digital skills and knowledge of artificial intelligence by involving them in the creation of tools that can remove barriers and help advance inclusive education, according to UNICEF.

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Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti described the support his government has provided to Kosovo’s youth as extremely broad.

He expressed these assessments during his participation in the activity “Your Voice, Our Future”, held in “Mother Teresa” square in Pristina, in honor of International Youth Day.

The main focus of Kurti’s speech was the assistance offered to young people in the field of free education and the scholarship scheme.

Prime Minister Kurti: Double benefits from free schooling and scholarships

“Furthermore, with free higher education, from which tens of thousands of students have benefited, this is accompanied by support with more than 18 thousand scholarships, with amounts ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 euros, covering the period 2021-2026. It is also worth noting that the scholarship value increased from 700 euros, as it was before, to 1,000 euros currently. These measures include nearly 7,300 scholarships for STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) as well as almost 9,700 elite scholarships for students with an average grade above 9. But support also extends to around 250 scholarships worth 7,500 to 8,500 euros, dedicated to doctoral students at the world’s top 500 universities. In addition, nearly 700 bachelor’s and master’s students have been funded who have studied or are studying in the United States of America, France, Japan, Hungary and other countries,” Kurti declared.

Minister of Sports and Youth, Blerim Gashani, said that it is the duty of institutions to listen more to young people and to open paths for them to engage in decision-making processes and the progress of the state.

Minister Gashani: We have advanced projects for youth

“It is precisely at this point that we understand our institutional obligation: not simply to invite young people to participate, but to build the ground and circumstances for them to actually integrate. During this time at the head of the Ministry of Sports and Youth, we have focused on this aspect. We have modernized initiatives related to youth mobility, because our conviction is that a young person needs to go beyond boundaries, absorb experiences from others, create new connections and networks, and then return those experiences to the benefit of our country,” Gashani emphasized.

He added that along with dreams and difficulties, youth also has its own stories.

Minister Gashani: Guiding young people towards fresh opportunities and experiences

“It is about the young person who possesses a good concept, but has not yet found the path to its realization. It is about the young person who possesses talent, desire and will, but faces barriers that do not depend simply on his engagement. We are talking about the young person who wants to travel, educate himself, gain experience, be involved in volunteering, engage in sports activities or start a business, but perhaps still does not have clear where to look for the convenient opportunity,” Gashani added.

This event was realized under the care of the Ministry of Sports and Youth, in partnership with the European Youth Card in Kosovo.

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In a public statement, the company said it had been accused for more than two months of causing “mass food poisoning,” although, according to the company, the findings of official inspections did not establish any link between the food it prepared and the students’ health condition.

“Two months of accusations. One completely different official conclusion,” SORI-AL stated, stressing that no institution confirmed the claim of mass food poisoning after all inspection procedures had been completed.

The company says it cooperated fully with every state institution throughout this period. According to SORI-AL, its premises were opened for inspections and repeat inspections, the requested documentation and products were provided to the authorities, and it awaited the outcome of the checks without conducting media trials or prejudging the work of institutions.

Referring to official documents, SORI-AL said the University Hospital Centre “Mother Teresa” (QSUT) did not diagnose any patient with food poisoning. The company added that there is no medical report linking the health condition of those who sought medical assistance to the consumption of food prepared by it.

Food samples taken during official inspections and analysed by the Institute of Food Safety and Veterinary Medicine (ISUV) also tested negative, according to the statement. The same result was also confirmed by analyses conducted at an accredited private laboratory.

SORI-AL said the State Health Inspectorate found no legal violations, while the Institute of Public Health confirmed that it had not conducted laboratory analyses of the food. Meanwhile, AKU closed the inspection procedure without finding any violations and authorised the company to continue its normal operations.

The statement also presents clinical data on the students who went to QSUT, which, according to the company, offer a different picture from the perception created in public opinion.

During the first episode, 45 people went to QSUT. Of these, 43 were discharged within one to four hours, while only two remained for longer monitoring. In the second episode, 67 people sought treatment, of whom 66 were discharged within 30 minutes to a few hours, while only one person remained hospitalised for several days.

“These are official medical facts, not interpretations,” SORI-AL stressed. The company argues that protecting a business’s name should not be considered a secondary issue, especially when public opinion was shaped before authorities completed their inspections.

According to the company, despite the results of the official procedures, the reputational damage has already occurred and cannot be undone merely through an official report or an administrative notice.

SORI-AL also mentioned recent reactions by state institutions against damage to business reputations caused by false comments and reviews on social media, where it was stressed that protecting businesses is a matter of public interest.

The company said it supports this standard, but asks who is accountable for the damage when a business’s reputation is harmed by communications or actions of public institutions themselves, which ultimately are not supported by the official documents of the procedures they conducted.

In closing its statement, SORI-AL stressed that in a state governed by the rule of law, the truth should receive the same public attention as the accusations did.

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According to the announcement, these scholarships are intended for 10th-grade students in Vocational Education and Training Institutions (VETIs). The value of each scholarship is 50 euros per month, or 500 euros for one school year, excluding the months of July and August.

“The Ministry of Education and Science, for the 2026/2027 school year as well, will support Vocational Education and Training (VET) students through the allocation of 100 scholarships, with the aim of encouraging enrollment in shortage fields and increasing the participation of girls in technical fields. The scholarships are dedicated to 10th-grade students in VETIs and are worth 50 euros per month, respectively 500 euros for the school year, while the support will continue for three years of schooling, according to the established criteria,” the announcement states.

Of the total number of 100 scholarships, 70 are intended for students enrolling in shortage fields, while another 30 are reserved for girls who choose technical fields.

“Of the total number of scholarships, 70 are intended for students who enroll in shortage fields, while 30 are for girls who choose technical fields, with the aim of developing professional skills in areas where the labor market needs new staff,” it further states.

The ministry clarified that the application period begins on July 9 and ends on October 1, 2026. The documentation and application are to be submitted to the VETIs, while the directors of these institutions are obliged to forward the applications to MEST, namely to the Department of Vocational Education and Training, by October 5, 2026.

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Meanwhile, students have chosen another way to protest. They also have a message for the police, whom they stress are acting with double standards.

“We are against double standards. Students should not be prosecuted while cars block the roads of Tirana, blocking traffic. We are protesting and our demands are clear. Fine the MPs and do not prosecute the students,” they said.

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