MR. STANKOVIC: FUNDS FOR TEXTBOOKS PROVIDED BUT THERE ARE NO PROPOSALS

Belgrade – Unfortunately, we will not have an increase in the number of textbooks in the Albanian language this year  despite all the agreements reached in the previous period, primarily those between the Prime Ministers of Albania and Serbia, "said Zoran Stankovic, the President of the Coordination Body of the Government of the Republic of Serbia for the Municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja, noting that the Republic of Serbia provided the funds for their printing and translation.

He said on TV Pink that it had been previously agreed to provide the missing 35 textbooks in the Albanian language for primary and secondary school, as well as eight textbooks that promoted the Albanian language and culture, but that, unfortunately, as of 2015, the National Council of Albanians did not propose a single textbook.

"In order to reach a decision on the use of textbooks in the Albanian language, it is necessary for a national council, in this concrete case the Albanian National Council, to proposes the textbooks and translators, and only after specific legal procedures, and with the approval of the competent body of the Ministry of Education, these books are put into use," Mr. Stankovic said.  

Bearing in mind the problem of textbooks, Mr. Stankovic mentioned the meeting at the Embassy of Albania, which was held this January and which was attended by the Albanian Ambassador, the President of the Albanian National Council Jonuz Musliu and representatives of the Ministry of Education and the Coordination Body, at which an agreement on accelerated activities was reached, so that everything could be done in a timely fashion.

"However, although agreements were made and activities undertaken, there was no act of good will on the part of of the Albanian National Council," Mr. Stankovic said.

He said that 86 textbooks in the Albanian language were approved until 2015, of which 79 for elementary school, three for preschool and four for the Albanian language and literature for all four grades of secondary school.

“In the previous period, all national councils signed a memorandum on the provision of textbooks, and after a certain delay, the Albanian National Council signed it, too”, Mr. Stankovic said. 

"We are trying," he said, "to familiarize the competent international institutions, such as the OSCE, the EU Delegation to Serbia, the US and other embassies, as well as all those who are  interested in the matter, with our activities on the provision of textbooks, after which it should be determined why there are no textbooks and who is to blame for not having provided them in the previous period, although we have signed and committed ourselves to providing them, especially in a situation when Serbia earmarked and provided the funds for their  printing and translation. Now it is for some other authorities to find out how everyone involved in the matter behaved," Mr.Stankovic said.

In connection with the allegation made by Jonuz Musliju, the President of the Albanian National Council, that 700 dinars per page of translation of a textbook was a low amount and that that was why they had failed to propose a translator, Mr. Stankovic said that the state had set 700 dinars per page of translation of all textbooks, including those to be translated into Albanian, and that that was a fixed amount, while no one was privileged in that matter.

“I cannot comment on whether the amount is large or small, but funds for translation have been provided," Mr. Stankovic said.

He stated that an attempt had been made to unacceptably transfer around 5,000 textbooks in Albanian across the administrative line in the previous years, as well as that 104,000 textbooks had been brought from Kosovo and Metohija by trucks two years before.  

“It was done outside the agreements, although it had been indicated to the people who did it that the textbooks had to pass specific legal procedures in order to be used.  In accordance with how they did it, those books were returned to where they came from, " Mr. Stankovic said.

He said that it was clearly stated that textbooks from Kosovo and Metohija, which were used in teaching in the Albanian language, could not be used as long as the talks between Pristina and Belgrade were in progress. 

Mr. Stankovic also said that a legal procedure was, thus, provided, which means that the textbook that is handed out to those who learn from should be deprived of all the things that are not consistent with the current events, history and geography.

Source: ТV Pink, “Tanjug” news agency, “Evening News” daily and Coordination Body