A total of 7,316 students were enrolled in the University of Prishtina “Hasan Prishtina” in the 2016/17 academic year, but in spite of massive interest, a few of them were well informed of the programs for which they applied.
Djellëza Marniku, a high school graduate who plans to apply at the Department of Psychology in the Faculty of Philosophy, says that the she got information about the university programs from the internet and from conversations with several teachers from the school she attends.
“If there were a plan explaining the university programs, it would be very helpful to me to decide which profession I am going to pursue,” Djellëza says.
Leotrim Berisha, a high school graduate, who will apply in the Department of Architecture, shares this opinion. He considers that the introduction of university programs in high schools is necessary. He emphasizes that the only information he gets is from the internet and some TV commercials.
The vice-rector for Development and Quality at the University of Prishtina, Teuta Pustina-Krasniqi says that at present, students are being informed with university programs through informative and advising sessions, and also through the Center for Career Development (CCD). This center, along with the Office for Academic Development organizes several activities such as informative days in high schools, as well as the career fair, where high school graduates can download the online manual of services through the Virtual Career Platform.
In addition to the official web sites of the academic units of the University of Prishtina “Hasan Prishtina,” high school graduates can be informed also through the official e-mail of CCD or through their official Facebook profile.
Students who are registered in the CCD database can be informed on weekly basis about the opportunities for career development. These centers (Office for Academic Development and CCD), according to her, have reformed the approach towards high school graduates in order to inform them, by gathering the positive changes from the partner institutions; the Ministry of Education Science and Technology, University of Prishtina, the Directorates for Education within municipalities, and high schools.
Pustina-Krasniqi adds that there were some other ideas about creating a plan for career orientation, that would be implemented in the following years. Thus, high school graduates would be offered activities such as: “Information days for high school graduates,” and maybe also a visual campaign, through a promotion video-clip of the University of Prishtina, administrative and professional services, academic units, training centers, institutes and accredited study programs.
“Having an official material (informative video-clips of University of Prishtina “Hasan Prishtina”), we could organize a promotional media campaign (portals, radio, TV), prior to the official announcement of the application for the enrolment of the students in the new academic year 2017/18,” she added.
Adeline Gjergji
