Kosovo enclave children suffer most

Children are our future and should be taught tolerance at the very least.

As a Kosovar I completely agree with you Mike. It's hard to accomplish what you speak of when you have these parents telling their kids that they aren't allowed to go into a public system bc "the terrorist albanians will brainwash you." I'm sorry but the last time I checked the Kosovar-serbs make up barely 5% of the population, you don't expect us to make all our education in serbian and have special edition books in serbian just bc of a 5% minority now do you?

My point is, these kids have to be integrated and be taught equally and fairly, not mistreated or over treated.

With the Ahtisari plan areas such as enclaves would get huge power to governing themselves, even education, all out serbian. This is why I completely don't agree with Ahtisari's "supervised independence." I believe Kosova needs to have one educational system (all out albanian) controlled by one group or person (minister). Anything else only spells segregation.

I would dare to say most, if not all, of Kosovo's children suffer in some way. They are taught by their parents, and worse, by teachers, to mistrust, even hate, the proverbial "other". I can only imagine how these Serb children feel about the outside world beyond their enclave borders. Even if they come across an Albanian with totally good intentions who wants to help them, these children may see him/her as an enemy. It's the same with Iraqi children who are told by their parents to stay away from American soldiers.

If Kosovo is to have any future, one of the first things to be done is to completely revamp, and modernize the education curriculum. I can only imagine what children are being taught in schools (both Albanian and Serbian). Now is the time to end the mutual hostility before another generation grows up hating the other on the simply fact of being the other. The Three R's should not be Reading, 'Riting and Racism.

KS, one way we can help revamp the educational system is to reorganize how history and culture are taught in Kosovo. I have seen Serbian school textbooks from the Milosevic era and have found they all describe Kosovo as exclusively Serbian. I'm sure that there are equally biased Albanian versions as well. The point here is that we need to show that Kosovo has a rich and developed history that has been contributed to by Serbs, Albanians and others. By showing that Kosovo's history is a shared history, it helps dispell many of the stereotypes and rumors of other ethnicities.

I'd have to disagree with you on a unified educational curriculum. I definitely see the logic in it, but Serbs will not want to learn Albanian any more than Albanians wanted to learn Serbian. How about we choose a neutral language, like English or French at the university level? Serbs can certainly take Albanian language courses to get along in everyday life, but let's take it one step at a time.

Those children are not alone. A great friend of mine is running a very special and rare project trying to reach out to them via photography and workshops.

You can see her amazing photos - and the photos these isolated Serbian kids have taken - on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/rupini/sets/72157600222857744/

It is very much worth a look.

"I'm sorry but the last time I checked the Kosovar-serbs make up barely 5% of the population, you don't expect us to make all our education in serbian and have special edition books in serbian just bc of a 5% minority now do you?"

This is an argument that can be turned on its head and used against you!

Who should be held accountable for these children? Their parents. So, all the invaders are the ones who are doing this to the future.

What an example you set! SRAMOTA!

We have nothing to look forward to but future bombings, desecrations & hatred toward Serbia as you have done nothing to benefit your children, but spread hatred.

As for the children and Education they should be taught both language as well learn a foreign language like one poster said English or French. If you teach in one laugage as another poster said "All out Albanian" that is called Domination. In the the US as you call the great friend to Kosovo the primary language is English but you can take classes in Spanish as well as apply for Drivers license in 10 different lauguages. So yes there are special circumstances for everyone. So why approve the plan and have the enclaves have there own governments, ties to Serbia and education. Power from Serbia and Support that will be the peace separation from each other and be done with it. Once everyone learns that freedom is not free and then you have rules and strict regulations to follow and not the mindset of communist times. We will see how thing go in Kosovo

This is an argument that can be turned on its head and used against you!
(Philip Davies, 28. August 2007 01:25)

On paper yes, in reality, No.

Mike -- Sure, but I doubt either community would abandon native language to learn it in a different language. The current curriculum teaches Albanian and English is mandatory. I really doubt Kosovar serbs would be for your idea, but of course I have to agree. Integration is a good thing, segregation is a very bad thing.


Also on the history I just think that when mentioning events such as 1389 it should be very very neutral. You can't forget the Kosova - Serbia war (very neutral). A curriculum that neither side presses their beliefs on the other. What I'm trying to say is that you can't tell me events such as those can't be taught because those are climatic points in Kosova's History.

Mr Davis thanks for the links I really liked the one of that child acting as if the KPS put him in a jail cell. It made me smile.

I am with Mike on this one. Human right discourse is highly important, not only because it is seen as gradually replacing previous civilisation standards of legitimacy but because this standard will constitute a clear test for the new state where supreme source and location of legitimacy and sovereignty will increasingly be questioned.
One child’s human rights violated is one too many in my book.
the structural handicaps should convice us that the only way forward is that of further devolution on educational and political issues.
One cannot create layers multiple of identity by denying ones prime national identification. Only then Serb children would feel Kosovan as well.

As a Kosovar I completely agree with you Mike. It's hard to accomplish what you speak of when you have these parents telling their kids that they aren't allowed to go into a public system bc "the terrorist albanians will brainwash you." I'm sorry but the last time I checked the Kosovar-serbs make up barely 5% of the population, you don't expect us to make all our education in serbian and have special edition books in serbian just bc of a 5% minority now do you?

My point is, these kids have to be integrated and be taught equally and fairly, not mistreated or over treated.

With the Ahtisari plan areas such as enclaves would get huge power to governing themselves, even education, all out serbian. This is why I completely don't agree with Ahtisari's "supervised independence." I believe Kosova needs to have one educational system (all out albanian) controlled by one group or person (minister). Anything else only spells segregation.

Children are our future and should be taught tolerance at the very least.

I would dare to say most, if not all, of Kosovo's children suffer in some way. They are taught by their parents, and worse, by teachers, to mistrust, even hate, the proverbial "other". I can only imagine how these Serb children feel about the outside world beyond their enclave borders. Even if they come across an Albanian with totally good intentions who wants to help them, these children may see him/her as an enemy. It's the same with Iraqi children who are told by their parents to stay away from American soldiers.

If Kosovo is to have any future, one of the first things to be done is to completely revamp, and modernize the education curriculum. I can only imagine what children are being taught in schools (both Albanian and Serbian). Now is the time to end the mutual hostility before another generation grows up hating the other on the simply fact of being the other. The Three R's should not be Reading, 'Riting and Racism.

KS, one way we can help revamp the educational system is to reorganize how history and culture are taught in Kosovo. I have seen Serbian school textbooks from the Milosevic era and have found they all describe Kosovo as exclusively Serbian. I'm sure that there are equally biased Albanian versions as well. The point here is that we need to show that Kosovo has a rich and developed history that has been contributed to by Serbs, Albanians and others. By showing that Kosovo's history is a shared history, it helps dispell many of the stereotypes and rumors of other ethnicities.

I'd have to disagree with you on a unified educational curriculum. I definitely see the logic in it, but Serbs will not want to learn Albanian any more than Albanians wanted to learn Serbian. How about we choose a neutral language, like English or French at the university level? Serbs can certainly take Albanian language courses to get along in everyday life, but let's take it one step at a time.

"I'm sorry but the last time I checked the Kosovar-serbs make up barely 5% of the population, you don't expect us to make all our education in serbian and have special edition books in serbian just bc of a 5% minority now do you?"

This is an argument that can be turned on its head and used against you!

Who should be held accountable for these children? Their parents. So, all the invaders are the ones who are doing this to the future.

What an example you set! SRAMOTA!

We have nothing to look forward to but future bombings, desecrations & hatred toward Serbia as you have done nothing to benefit your children, but spread hatred.

As for the children and Education they should be taught both language as well learn a foreign language like one poster said English or French. If you teach in one laugage as another poster said "All out Albanian" that is called Domination. In the the US as you call the great friend to Kosovo the primary language is English but you can take classes in Spanish as well as apply for Drivers license in 10 different lauguages. So yes there are special circumstances for everyone. So why approve the plan and have the enclaves have there own governments, ties to Serbia and education. Power from Serbia and Support that will be the peace separation from each other and be done with it. Once everyone learns that freedom is not free and then you have rules and strict regulations to follow and not the mindset of communist times. We will see how thing go in Kosovo

This is an argument that can be turned on its head and used against you!
(Philip Davies, 28. August 2007 01:25)

On paper yes, in reality, No.

Mike -- Sure, but I doubt either community would abandon native language to learn it in a different language. The current curriculum teaches Albanian and English is mandatory. I really doubt Kosovar serbs would be for your idea, but of course I have to agree. Integration is a good thing, segregation is a very bad thing.


Also on the history I just think that when mentioning events such as 1389 it should be very very neutral. You can't forget the Kosova - Serbia war (very neutral). A curriculum that neither side presses their beliefs on the other. What I'm trying to say is that you can't tell me events such as those can't be taught because those are climatic points in Kosova's History.

Those children are not alone. A great friend of mine is running a very special and rare project trying to reach out to them via photography and workshops.

You can see her amazing photos - and the photos these isolated Serbian kids have taken - on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/rupini/sets/72157600222857744/

It is very much worth a look.

Mr Davis thanks for the links I really liked the one of that child acting as if the KPS put him in a jail cell. It made me smile.

I am with Mike on this one. Human right discourse is highly important, not only because it is seen as gradually replacing previous civilisation standards of legitimacy but because this standard will constitute a clear test for the new state where supreme source and location of legitimacy and sovereignty will increasingly be questioned.
One child’s human rights violated is one too many in my book.
the structural handicaps should convice us that the only way forward is that of further devolution on educational and political issues.
One cannot create layers multiple of identity by denying ones prime national identification. Only then Serb children would feel Kosovan as well.