IBC-M hosted a visit from the Head of the EU Office in Pristina, Ambassador Mr. Tomáš Szunyog at the college’s Riverview campus on Tuesday 29 th September, 2020. During the visit to IBC-M, a recipient of EU funding, Ambassador Szunyog met with students, staff, professors and management at the college and toured the IBC-M Riverview campus as part of a one-day visit to North Mitrovica.
Following a tour of the premises and a discussion with college directors, Mihone Kerolli and Jelena Djokic, the Ambassador held a 30-minute discussion with students that included a Q & A session to address concerns and interests of students related to the role of the EU in the education system in Kosovo. The discussion, broaching various topics such as inclusivity, diversity and accessibility in education, student mobility and their ability to study abroad, digital transformation in education, while in the broader sense the Ambassador spoke of EU investments
in teacher training with a focus on improving teaching standards in the wider system, gave great insight into sustainable development in Kosovo.
The Ambassador emphasised the importance of ‘smart, young people’ staying in Kosovo, stating that the region is a land of potential and that improvements within the education system, aligned with the student’s own knowledge gained through their journey will allow the full utilisation of this over the coming years. Economic investments in Kosovo, leading to improvements to both
the green and digital economies were noted as areas of growth potential by Ambassador Szunyog, he further highlighted that like the private sector, the educational sector must adapt to
the times we live in and find ‘digital ways of doing things’. This twin transition, as explained by the Ambassador will have multiple impacts in Kosovo, allowing young people to find ‘good, secure and well-paying jobs’ in the future.
IBC-M was incredibly honoured to host the visit of Ambassador Szunyog earlier this week and are continually grateful for the support and funding received from the European Union for their continued delivery of inclusive education in Kosovo. The IBC-M was established to provide internationally accredited, higher quality education to students from all communities in Kosovo and it is funded by European Union office in Kosovo.