Professor Enver Hasani, PhD, Rector of the University of Pristina in Kosovo gave un exluzive interview to Tirana Times
Tirana Times: Who is Enver Hasani?
HASANI: Well, I am professor of international law and international relations. I did my PhD and MA studies in Ankara at the English-speaking University of Bilkent in Ankara. My first MA and the law studies I did in Pristina during the Communist era. I have been an adviser and worked with all governments of Kosovo since 1992, as well as being a legal adviser for the Kosovars at the Rambouillet Conference on Kosovo in 1999. However, I never had any political affiliation, but only professional work I did with the political and other leaders of Kosovo during this time. I am a Fulbright Scholar from Northwestern University in Chicago in United States.
Tirana Times: You have recently been elected as the Rector of the Pristina University. What are the challenges ahead?
HASANI: There are many challenges ahead, indeed. It is very difficult to single out a domain where the challenges will be greater. I would however have to say the UP needs two sorts of changes, similar to the way IT world functions. First, I have to fix and intervene as regards the hardware of the University- its physical appearance. There is a huge amount of work to do in securing a decent environment to study and research in, because almost all basic facilities were destroyed after the war due to negligence and mismanagement. Second, there is another major task in repairing and updating software of the University that is its intellectual property, starting from curricula, textbooks and research which are far below any western standards. In fact, the UP lags behind most of the universities in the region. I expect resistance from within because intervening in these two segments means destroying many undeserved privileges and advantages that professors and students have been enjoying since the war and several years beforehand when we were under the parallel system resisting Milosevic and his regime.
Tirana Times: You have declared the intention for an overall restructuring and reform of the UP in order to bring it to European and Western standards required by higher education. What does this mean in practical terms?
HASANI: As I said, this means changes to the very philosophy of the management of the UP and the way it works at present. It will take some time but I am optimistic that within my mandate clear changes shall take place and the UP shall embark on a normal route of development and progress towards proper standards of higher education. I will advance simultaneously on both fronts, fixing the hardware and the software of the UP. I have very concrete plans for this.
Tirana Times: The UP is the only public institution in Kosovo and there are several other private institutions dealing with higher education. What relations do you have with them?
HASANI: There is one other public university in the country, the one run by the Serbs in the North of Kosovo. However, its status is dubious and UNMIK authorities have removed its license due to its functioning on political principles. I sincerely hope that one day we shall have a common understanding to work together under the one umbrella and within the legal system of the society of Kosovo.
As for the private universities, apart from the American University of Kosovo, none of others are serious candidates to compete with and the way they operate is not correct. There is a conflict of interests because most of them, 99 per cent, employ our staff. In addition to this, our staff is employed simultaneously by five or more universities, which runs counter to any moral let alone legal standards. In September I am planning to start a series of talks on this matter. I am sure I will persuade our staff not to do lecturing work at private universities due to their personal reputation and the very nature of our work at the UP. Besides this, their work there is against the law and seriously harms the interests of the UP and their personal reputation.
Tirana Times: What connections does the UP have with the outside world?
HASANI: Until now, I believe that the UP has been the most isolated intuition in the region. Contacts with the outside world have been non-existent, apart from few with the Tirana and Tetovo Universities. I am hopeful that soon we shall re-establish contacts with the outside world and open the UP to outside influence.
Tirana Times: What is the UP and Tirana University relationship?
HASANI: As I said, very few contacts have been established so far and they were based on personal connections, more that on an institutional basis. I met with the Rector of the Tirana University the other day, Mr. Shezai Rrokaj and discussed various ways and modalities of our cooperation, such as joint projects within the European system of higher education. I am confident that our cooperation shall be very institutional and transparent for the benefit of all.
Tirana Times: What would be the briefest way to round up the urgent needs of the UP?
HASANI; To regulate the look of the UP premises and urgently change the textbooks used by our students, which are old books by local authors, having no match in outside world. Next comes the promotion of those who do serious research and proper teaching based on Western standards.
Tirana Times: Is there any space for minority students at the UP?
HASANI: Yes, there is. We register a few of them every year, but the number is too small because teaching and research is in Albanian only. Serbs have been absent throughout these post-war years but I hope soon to make some positive changes. As far as the UP is concerned, I am ready to play my constructive role in addressing this issue, and fixing it, if politics of Kosovo decides for serious move in this direction. I have met with Serb Minister of the Government of Kosovo, Mr. Slavisa Petkovic, and discussed with him the ways to integrate local Serbs within the UP. There is some move in this direction and I hope soon to see some results.
Tirana Times: What about the brain drain phenomenon?
HASANI: That is not expressed so much in Kosovo due to the fact that there are many internationals who work and live here, employing our better intellectuals. The only problem is how to get these young and well educated people to work at the UP. So far, the UP has been reluctant to open its doors to them. I am very much committed to opening the doors of the University to them and invite them to join our staff. This will happen soon.
Tirana Times: Where is the University of Pristina with the Bologna Process?
HASANI: In the very distant future, for the time being. I hope, this year, to start the internal and external evaluation, with the help pf the EUA (European University Association), to see where we are. I have been in this post for two months and I hope that the UP draws closer to Bologna and other Western standards on higher education within my mandate.
Tirana Times: As a well known professor of international law and relations and the adviser to all governments of Kosovo since 1992, what is the role of the UP in daily and political life in Kosovo? What is its impact on the overall political processes of the country?
HASANI: The UP has been a very serious actor in political developments of the country in the former Yugoslavia. After we went into the parallel system, in 1991 onwards, to fight Milosevic and his regime, the UP won greater influence, although the teaching and research suffered very seriously as the UP became the political tool of certain interest groups in Kosovo. This situation deteriorated rapidly after 1999 so that UP became a very politicized institution, and groups of people, party hacks and bureaucrats of the social upheavals following the end of the war in Kosovo in 1999 misused it for personal gain and benefit to the detriment of progress and social development. I hope this situation shall change too soon. This means that UP shall be a normal institution for the benefit of all, free of political influences and devoted to study and research..
Tirana Times: What is the situation with research at the UP?
HASANI: Research in terms of a practice, does not exist in the UP. Almost all activity in the UP is devoted to teaching, very classical methods being used there. So we have to work hard to correct this very important parameter for the normal functioning of an institution of higher education. This is not because Bologna asks from us, but due to our needs for progress and development. In this regard, I will be counting a great deal on the help of the international community, our friends from all around the world and I have promises for this. Without them we alone cannot achieve anything seriously.
