The National Stakeholder Conference on Social Cohesion and Equality in Kosovo, held on March 7th, coincided with National Teachers Day and marked a significant milestone for the Programmatic Partnership “Research capacity building to strengthen Empirical Education Research on Social Cohesion and Equity in Kosovo (EduReaKos) – funded under the HERAS Plus Programmatic Partnerships Scheme.” This partnership is coordinated by the University of Graz in partnership with three Public Higher Education Institutions in Kosovo: University “Isa Boletini” Mitrovica (UIBM), University “Ukshin Hoti” Prizren (UUHP), and University of Prishtina “Hasan Prishtina” (UP). The conference aimed to highlight issues related to educational equality and bring them to the policy agenda, focusing on large-scale assessments of data from PISA and TIMSS.

During the opening session, Mr. Aqim Emurli, HERAS Plus Team Leader, emphasised that this project (funded by HERAS Plus) is highly significant because it addresses crucial issues related to Human Rights and Gender Equality. He further commended the project’s achievements and emphasised the valuable capacity-building opportunities that emerged from the collaboration, particularly for the young researchers involved.

Additionally, Mr. Qerim Qerimi, Rector of the University of Prishtina, emphasised the conference’s importance as a contribution to advancing education in Kosovo, beyond its academic and research purposes. He expressed gratitude for the continued support offered by HERAS Plus.

The EduReaKos project has focused on capacity building, collaboration, and networking to strengthen young academics’ empirical education research and research competencies in teacher education and related disciplines. These efforts aim to build a robust knowledge base on social cohesion and equity within the Kosovan schooling system. The project’s research outcomes have been presented at four international conferences in Austria, Armenia, Germany, and Norway, in the form of a keynote, a symposium, four papers, and three posters.