Education is the key of a successful and wellbeing society. To educate our self doesn’t mean to learn only the things that we are taught in schools. To educate our self means to learn everyday during our life; to open our mind to new things, debate, ask and be critical about the things we are in touch with.
Children take the first steps of education from their parents or their caretakers. When they are old enough, they continue getting in touch with their further lessons in different educational structures, such as in scholastic institutions. However, while talking about scholastic structures, I think it’s necessary to stop and make a more detailed analyze.
In Kosovo, especially in my home city, Peja, the educational system has a very low standard, which is very concerning. The learning/studying system is more focused in traditional organizations. This system involves lesson programmes, where the interactivity between students and teachers is minimal. This means, the teachers lecture in front of the class demanding only the students’ attention.
Lots of students hesitate to ask something about the lessons because of the teachers’ non pedagogical attitude.
Speaking out of my own experience as a Chemistry student at the University of Prishtina, I can reclaim that it’s very miserable, the fact that we learn chemistry, its elements and different experiments without ever being able to see and do those experiments in practice and without ever knowing what a laboratory glass looks like in reality, even though I had chemistry classes for five years in primary school either.
Setting my argument in an example, we as students have been taught about plants, animals, and about the human anatomy, but we are not lucky enough to go out and see these things for ourselves, because of the lack of adequate educational curriculums for students in order to learn and study better the lessons while exploring their content as well. Unfortunately, our programmes, don’t involve these so called, outdoor activities, most of the learning is through the theoretical learning.
Being familiar with those problems, a good number of new teachers are trying to change the old reforms and make an effort to involve the students much more in practical learning/studying, even in places outside the classrooms.
Peja is circumstanced of such a wonderful nature, with lots of plants and animals that are worth exploring on. It is worth mentioning, that different non-profitable organizations, based on their activities are focused in the nature, environmental protection and education to encourage the people and schools to go out and explore more.
The Environmentally Responsible Action Group – ERA, is one of many organizations that operates in Peja. ERA implements a lot of activities with students in the primary schools, so they can be familiar with the wild life. Except the outdoors activities, ERA organizes activities that tend to broaden the students creativity that is very important for raising a wealthy society.
To sum everything up, I think that, to learn something only in theory is like thinking you know how to swim, but the moment you approach the water you freeze. Practice, exploration, and interactive learning are something that needs to be taken in consideration very seriously, because the world doesn’t say for nothing that “the children are our future”.
Peja has still a lot of work to do, but has also smart people that are working and trying their best to change the society and the old educational systems for a better future for everyone.
Arnisa Lipa - Youth Correspondent