Diploma acceptance boosts career hopes in Kosovo, Serbia

By Safet Kabashaj for Southeast European Times in Pristina. An agreement reached between the governments of Kosovo and Serbia allows university diplomas certified by the European University Association to be recognised by employers in both countries, expanding the market for graduates and job-seekers.
The agreement, made in July 2011, came after EU-facilitated dialogue on the mutual recognition of degrees issued by their universities. The first 74 diplomas were awarded to Kosovo students on July 19th, after they were certified by the association following a review by a panel of experts who affirmed the quality of the students' education.
The arrangement is welcomed in places such as Presevo Valley, in southern Serbia, where many Albanian students study in Pristina but had found their degrees ignored in their own country.
"Imagine how one feels having in your hand a university degree, but being unable to put it to use in the country one lives in," said Amir Rexhepi, a medical student who finished his studies in Pristina last year. His degree was one of those affirmed last month. "Whenever I tried to register at the employment bureau, they offered me to register only as a high school graduate."
Samuel Zbogar, chief of Kosovo EU office, said the agreement is a solution for students in both countries who have been blocked from job markets. Current unemployment figures for Serbia are 28 percent and 45 percent for Kosovo.
Officials also hope that the agreement will lead to similar educational standards in the region.
"The [European University Association] agreed to assist in the certification process as it is to the benefit of universities and their students in the region, and fully in line with EUA mission and mandate in promoting a coherent European higher education and research," Lesley Wilson, association secretary general, said.
Nazmi Mehmeti, also a medical school graduate from Presevo Valley, is optimistic that he'll find a job in Serbia now that his degree is recognised.
"There's hope that the diploma agreement implementation will not be received with hostilities from Serbia, because we are exhausted with the fight over basic human rights," Mehmeti told SETimes.