The Assembly of Kosovo has approved the appointment of three members to the State Quality Council of the Kosovo Accreditation Agency with 57 votes in favor, four against, and one abstention.
The appointed members are Driton Vela and Florim Gallopeni, who will serve four-year mandates, and Shkurtë Bajgora, who will serve a two-year term.
The Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Hajrullah Çeku, outlined the selection process. He explained that based on recent practices, the most urgent fields requiring representation in the council were social and human sciences and medicine.
According to him, the process began on April 1, 2026, when the issue was formally addressed within the ministry. A public call for nominations was opened from April 7 to April 15, followed by the establishment of a review commission on April 17.
The commission—composed of representatives from the Conference of Rectors, the ministry, the Kosovo Academy of Sciences and Arts, international development partners, and civil society—reviewed applications and found 10 candidates for the three positions.
Out of these, eight candidates met the criteria:
- Four from medical sciences
- Two from humanities
- Two student representatives
After evaluation, the commission submitted its final report on April 21, and the minister proposed three names to the government, which approved them electronically before forwarding them to the Assembly.
Opposition criticism
The process drew criticism from opposition lawmakers.
Sala Jashari of the Democratic Party of Kosovo accused the government of attempting to politicize independent institutions, arguing that bodies meant to guarantee quality and independence risk being turned into political instruments.
Meanwhile, Jehona Lushaku-Sadriu raised concerns about procedural issues, claiming the selection was rushed and lacked transparency, including the absence of interviews.
She warned that the move could further damage the credibility of the accreditation system, referencing past challenges faced by Kosovo’s accreditation institutions at the international level.
Despite the criticism, the appointments were finalized, marking a key step in reconstituting one of the central bodies overseeing higher education quality in Kosovo.
