The Government of Kosovo has allocated more than €14 million to subsidize the purchase of school textbooks and learning materials for the 2026 school year, with payments expected to begin next week.
Anita Kadriu, director of the Department of Pre-University Education at Kosovo’s Ministry of Education, confirmed to KALLXO.com that the funds are expected to be disbursed starting August 17, 2026.
According to the 2026 budget, €14.115 million has been allocated under the Ministry of Education’s curriculum development category, while a total of €25.305 million is earmarked for subsidies and transfers.
Applications for the textbook subsidy program opened on July 27 through the e-Kosova platform. As of 11:00 a.m. on August 11, a total of 176,062 applications had been submitted.
Kadriu said verification of the applications began Tuesday morning.
“We are waiting for the applications to close. Based on the number of students who will receive the subsidy across Kosovo, we will determine the exact amount to be allocated to each student,” Kadriu said.
The Ministry has yet to determine the individual subsidy amounts for students in grades 1–5 and grades 6–9. Officials say the final amounts will depend on the total number of eligible applicants.
The government aims to ensure that students receive all required textbooks and that the new school year begins as scheduled on September 1.
This year, the subsidy scheme has also been expanded to include students whose parents do not hold official residency permits in Kosovo. The measure covers students from Albania, the Preševo Valley, Montenegro and North Macedonia who attend schools in Kosovo.
Parents who do not have access to an e-Kosova account can obtain confirmation from their child’s school that the student is enrolled and submit the document to the Ministry either physically or by email. The information is then entered into the system manually with the assistance of the Information Society Agency.
The subsidy program also covers students with special needs, students at the Correctional Center in Lipjan and children from SOS Children’s Villages.
As in previous years, applications are being verified through coordinators assigned to schools across Kosovo. Kadriu said there are approximately 620 primary schools, with two coordinators at each school helping parents complete applications and verify submitted information.
The Ministry has not yet determined whether additional funding will be required this year, with officials waiting for the final number of applications before making a decision.
This is the fourth consecutive year that Kosovo has used a subsidy-based system for purchasing school textbooks and learning materials. The system was introduced during the 2023/24 school year under then-Education Minister Arbërie Nagavci. The ministry is currently headed by acting minister Hajrulla Çeku.
In the 2025/26 school year, students in grades 1–5 received €80 each for textbooks and learning materials, while students in grades 6–9 received €80 for workbooks and educational materials. The total budget allocated for the 2025/26 scheme was €12.8 million.
In 2024/25, the Ministry allocated €20.419 million for textbook and learning-material subsidies. Students in grades 1–5 received €80, while those in grades 6–9 received €110.
The 2023/24 scheme had a budget of €12.251 million. Students in grades 1–5 received €80, including €50 for textbooks and €30 for learning materials, while students in grades 6–9 received €30 for learning materials.
The textbook subsidy program has previously faced scrutiny over the use of public funds. A report by Kosovo’s National Audit Office found approximately €60,000 in misuse of subsidy funds across 22 schools in 2024.
