The Silent Language in the Classroom: The Crisis of Turkish Language Education in Kosovo
Express newspaper
30/06/2025 14:50
At the heart of a state that promotes itself as multiethnic and democratic, it is facing an educational crisis that risks undoing the roots of its language and identity. Turkish-language education in Kosovo is in free fall, and the institutional silence surrounding it makes this decline even more dangerous.
Write Enis Tabak
In Prizren, a city that for many is a symbol of coexistence, Turkish-language school classrooms are emptying. In Mitrovica, some are at risk of closing down completely. While institutions promote the inclusion of communities in documents and statements, the reality on the ground tells a different story: a story of a lack of quality textbooks, a lack of trained staff, a lack of political and budgetary attention for an equal part of Kosovar society.
Structural problems abound. Turkish-language textbooks are often outdated, poorly translated from Albanian or Serbian, and do not reflect the local context. Turkish-language schools operate with limited resources, while at the university level, opportunities are few, forcing many young people to pursue their studies in Turkey.
Despite some isolated efforts such as aid with books from Turkey or support from political figures from the Turkish community, there is a lack of a long-term state strategy that addresses this issue as an essential part of the country’s educational and social development.
From institutional exclusion to the risk of assimilation
While the Agreement on the Normalization of Relations between Kosovo and Serbia provides protection for all non-majority communities, the focus in implementation has not been almost exclusively on the Turkish community. Communities such as the Turkish one, although with political representation in decision-making institutions, remain on the margins of the state agenda. This prolonged administrative and political silence increases the risk that younger generations will lose touch with their language, culture and identity.
The Turkish language in Kosovo is not just a means of communication; it is part of the collective memory, it is a cultural connection, and it is evidence of a history that goes beyond national borders.
Solutions exist, but they require political will and active involvement. It is necessary to: Create a unit within the Ministry of Education to coordinate education in the languages of non-majority communities, including Turkish; Develop and publish original textbooks in Turkish, adapted to the Kosovar reality; Support universities that offer programs in Turkish and train teachers on an ongoing basis; Ensure that the implementation of international agreements on the rights of communities is not selective.
The Turkish language is part of Kosovo’s identity as a multiethnic and democratic state. To protect this education is to protect equality, diversity and the future of a country that is still building itself.
Therefore, Turkish language education in Kosovo is a reflection of the institutional approach to diversity. And what this reflection shows us today is negligence and disregard. But it is not too late to change this course with dedication, cooperation, and true political will.
(Enis Tabak is a journalist. This publication was made possible within the framework of the project “Dialogue, Solution, Future”, with the support of the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany, implemented by the New Social Initiative (NSI) and the Musine Kokalari Institute for Social Policy. The content does not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany).