Kosovo’s new School Year opens Amid Textbook Gaps and a Strike by School Maintenance Workers
The 2026–2027 school year begins on schedule, but missing textbooks, unavailable class registers and a labour dispute involving technical workers expose continuing administrative weaknesses in Kosovo’s education system.
Kosovo’s new school year officially began on September 1, 2026, bringing pupils back to classrooms after the summer break. The opening was nevertheless marked by several disruptions (ndërprerje) that prevented some schools from beginning under normal conditions. Some children arrived without complete sets of textbooks, while teachers faced an unexpected shortage (mungesë) of official class registers. In Pristina, a simultaneous workers’ strike (grevë) created an additional problem as maintenance employees stopped working because of unpaid wages.
The Ministry of Education had confirmed before the beginning of the term that classes would start on September 1 despite rumours of a possible postponement. The official school calendar (kalendar) therefore remained unchanged for the 2026–2027 academic year. Students returned according to the planned schedule (orar) while schools prepared to resume lessons throughout the country. The administrative problems that emerged consequently represented difficulties with implementation (zbatim) rather than a formal delay to the beginning of the year.
One of the most visible problems involved school textbooks for pupils in grades one through nine. Kosovo continues to use a subsidy (subvencion) system in which the state transfers money to parents instead of distributing all books directly through schools. Parents must then purchase the required books themselves from authorised retailers (shitës me pakicë). The system gives families responsibility for procurement (sigurim) of the books before classes begin.
Applications for textbook assistance opened unusually early in 2026 compared with some previous years. Parents could apply through the eKosova digital platform (platformë) from July 27 until August 9. Applications then required school-level and ministry verification (verifikim) before money could be transferred. The procedure illustrates the increasingly digital administration (administrim) of public education benefits in Kosovo.
The Ministry approved the official textbook catalogue on August 27, only five days before the school year began. The catalogue contained 671 approved textbook units (njësi tekstesh) and established mandatory prices for sellers. On the same day, the Ministry announced the disbursement (disbursim) of money to eligible parents. This short period left families with limited lead time (kohë përgatitore) to locate and purchase every required book before September 1.
The amount of assistance differs according to the pupil’s grade. Parents of children in grades one and two received a grant (grant) of €60 for textbooks, while third-grade pupils received €65. The amount rises progressively through the school system, reaching a maximum (maksimum) of €100 for pupils in grades eight and nine. This graduated allocation (ndarje) is intended to reflect differences in the number and cost of books required at different educational levels.
Despite the transfer of funds, not every pupil arrived at school fully equipped on the first day. The late publication of the catalogue contributed to a logistical bottleneck (pengesë) as thousands of families attempted to buy textbooks within several days. School principals reported that some students still lacked part of the required materials (materiale) when lessons began. The situation created an uneven level of classroom preparedness (gatishmëri) during the opening week.
The subsidy system has become politically controversial because critics argue that it transfers organisational responsibility from the state to individual families. Opposition politicians have criticised the repeated delays (vonesa) that accompany the annual purchasing process. They argue that parents face unnecessary bureaucracy (burokraci) when they must apply, wait for payments and then search for books themselves. Supporters of the system can instead point to greater parental choice (zgjedhje) and the ability to purchase approved materials directly.
The textbook issue was not the only administrative problem encountered by teachers. Schools also began the year without official class registers (ditarë klase) used for recording attendance, lessons and other educational information. Some teachers were forced to create temporary records (evidenca) on printed sheets of paper. These provisional documents later had to be transcribed (transkriptoheshin) into official registers once the materials eventually arrived.
At the Pavarësia school in Pristina, administrators prepared temporary A4 sheets so teachers could continue documenting classes. The improvised system demonstrated considerable local adaptability (përshtatshmëri) but also highlighted a preventable supply problem. A school director said the temporary information would later be transferred into the official documentation (dokumentacion) and the paper sheets preserved in the archive. The episode illustrated how relatively small administrative omissions (mangësi) can create additional work for teachers at the beginning of an already demanding school year.
The more serious disruption in Pristina involved school maintenance and technical workers. Employees in several primary and secondary schools began an organised walkout (ndërprerje pune) on September 1 after their union’s payment deadline expired. Union representatives said workers had not received the full remuneration (shpërblim) owed for work performed during July. The dispute quickly affected school sanitation (higjienë) because classrooms, corridors and toilets require continuous cleaning when hundreds of children use them each day.
The union had warned the Municipality of Pristina about the planned industrial action approximately one week before the beginning of school. Workers demanded settlement of outstanding arrears (pagesa të prapambetura) by August 31. Union leaders argued that employees should not bear the consequences of administrative or contractual disputes (mosmarrëveshje) between the municipality and private contractors. Their position was based on a simple principle (parim): work already performed should be paid.
According to union leader Jusuf Azemi, the payment problems differed between primary and secondary-school employees. He said some secondary-school workers were owed compensation for around 20 working days in July, creating substantial wage arrears (detyrime page). Primary-school technical employees were reportedly missing payment for approximately 13 days, while August payments created further uncertainty (pasiguri). The dispute revealed the financial precariousness (pasiguri ekonomike) experienced by relatively low-paid outsourced workers when municipal payments are delayed.
The workers themselves are generally employed through private companies contracted by the municipality rather than directly by schools. This outsourcing arrangement creates a longer contractual chain (zinxhir kontraktual) between public authorities, companies and individual employees. When municipal funds are delayed, the financial problem can be transmitted (përcillet) through contractors until it reaches workers’ salaries. Such arrangements can complicate accountability (llogaridhënie) because several institutions may argue that another party is responsible for resolving the problem.
The consequences became visible almost immediately inside school buildings. On the second day of classes, several Pristina schools were still operating without normal maintenance (mirëmbajtje) services. Directors warned that the accumulation of waste was creating increasing difficulties (vështirësi) for ordinary school operations. The continuation of the strike transformed a salary disagreement into a question of student welfare (mirëqenie) and the conditions in which children were expected to learn.
Conditions at Ismajl Qemali Primary School attracted particular attention. Pupils and a teacher reportedly began cleaning their own classrooms because of deteriorating sanitary conditions (kushte higjienike). Parents described the condition of toilets and other facilities as increasingly alarming (shqetësues). The Parents’ Council threatened a possible class boycott (bojkot) if the municipality failed to restore adequate cleaning services.
The dispute became still more tense when municipal workers were reportedly sent to carry out limited cleaning at Ismajl Qemali. The union claimed that this intervention produced a physical confrontation (përballje) between striking employees and replacement workers. Union representatives argued that sending substitute personnel could undermine legitimate industrial action (veprim sindikal). The incident demonstrated how quickly an unresolved employment dispute can escalate (përshkallëzohet) once basic public services begin to deteriorate.
The union also disputed the level of pay being proposed during negotiations with municipal representatives. Workers demanded proper application of the statutory minimum wage (pagë minimale) and the amounts they believed were guaranteed by contract. Union representatives rejected what they considered an inadequate municipal offer (ofertë) during negotiations. Their demands therefore expanded from payment of outstanding salaries toward a broader question of compliance (përputhshmëri) with wage rules and employment contracts.
The dispute did not emerge suddenly in September, because technical workers had already experienced employment problems earlier in 2026. In June, primary-school workers had threatened to resume strike action because of unpaid May salaries (paga) and unresolved contracts. Repeated disputes point to a more persistent structural problem (problem strukturor) involving outsourcing and municipal payment procedures. A sustainable solution therefore requires more than temporary settlement (zgjidhje) of one month’s missing wages.
The problems encountered at the beginning of the year also highlight how many different groups are required for schools to function properly. Teachers may deliver lessons, but cleaners, maintenance employees and other support staff (staf mbështetës) provide essential services that make classrooms usable. Their absence exposes an often overlooked interdependence (ndërvarësi) between education and basic facility management. School quality therefore depends on an entire institutional ecosystem (ekosistem) rather than teachers and textbooks alone.
For parents, the simultaneous textbook and maintenance problems created additional burdens during a period that is normally already expensive. Families needed to organise book purchases while dealing with a degree of administrative uncertainty (pasiguri administrative) over materials and school conditions. Those with several children faced greater financial and logistical pressure (trysni) because each pupil required separate textbooks and supplies. These problems can weaken public confidence (besim) when families believe predictable annual preparations are repeatedly being completed at the last minute.
For pupils, the educational consequences can be more significant than the administrative nature of the problems initially suggests. Students without the required textbooks face an immediate disadvantage (disavantazh) compared with classmates who already possess all materials. Unsanitary facilities can reduce concentration (përqendrim) and make attendance unpleasant or potentially unsafe. Repeated disruption during the opening weeks can also weaken the sense of routine (rutinë) that helps children adapt successfully to a new academic year.
The textbook controversy raises a broader policy question about whether direct subsidies are preferable to central procurement. A subsidy system can create greater flexibility (fleksibilitet) and reduce the state’s direct role in book distribution. Centralised purchasing, however, may provide greater uniformity (njëtrajtshmëri) if every pupil receives the same required materials before classes begin. The appropriate model therefore involves a policy trade-off (zgjedhje mes alternativave) between administrative control, parental responsibility and reliable access.
Whatever system Kosovo uses, timing remains essential. Publishing the final catalogue only days before school begins creates an avoidable time constraint (kufizim kohor) for families and booksellers. Earlier approval could improve supply-chain coordination (bashkërendim) and allow shops to prepare sufficient stock in advance. Greater administrative predictability (parashikueshmëri) would reduce the likelihood that children begin lessons without all of their materials.
The September difficulties also demonstrate the importance of distinguishing national and municipal responsibilities. Textbook policy and education standards largely involve central-government competence (kompetencë), while municipal authorities carry substantial responsibilities for local school operations. Maintenance contracts introduce another layer of institutional fragmentation (fragmentim) because services can be outsourced to private operators. Clearer lines of responsibility (përgjegjësi) would make it easier for parents and employees to identify which institution must solve a particular problem.
Kosovo’s government has ambitious long-term plans for education, including development of a new Education Strategy extending toward 2035 and beyond. Such strategic documents emphasise educational quality (cilësi) and longer-term institutional development. However, national strategies require credible everyday execution (zbatim praktik) at school level. Delayed books, missing registers and unpaid support workers demonstrate the importance of basic administrative capacity (kapacitet) alongside ambitious reform programmes.
The beginning of the 2026–2027 school year was therefore not defined by one single crisis but by several smaller problems occurring simultaneously. Textbook delays represented an issue of administrative preparedness (përgatitje), while missing registers revealed weaknesses in supply management. The maintenance strike exposed deeper questions about labour relations (marrëdhënie pune) and municipal contracting. Together, these difficulties created an unusually troubled opening (fillim) to a school year that nevertheless proceeded according to the official calendar.
The central lesson is that successful education requires much more than opening school doors on the officially scheduled date. Institutions need greater foresight (largpamësi) so that books, administrative materials and staff arrangements are secured well before students arrive. Reliable payment and procurement systems provide the institutional continuity (vazhdimësi) necessary for schools to concentrate on teaching rather than emergency problem-solving. Addressing these recurring weaknesses would improve the system’s overall resilience (qëndrueshmëri) and give pupils, parents and teachers a more predictable start to future school years.
Key Albanian Vocabulary
ndërprerje disruptions
mungesë shortage
grevë strike
kalendar calendar
orar schedule
zbatim implementation
subvencion subsidy
shitës me pakicë retailers
sigurim procurement
platformë platform
verifikim verification
administrim administration
njësi tekstesh units
disbursim disbursement
kohë përgatitore lead time
grant grant
maksimum maximum
ndarje allocation
pengesë bottleneck
materiale materials
gatishmëri preparedness
vonesa delays
burokraci bureaucracy
zgjedhje choice
ditarë klase registers
evidenca records
transkriptoheshin transcribed
përshtatshmëri adaptability
dokumentacion documentation
mangësi omissions
ndërprerje pune walkout
shpërblim remuneration
higjienë sanitation
pagesa të prapambetura arrears
mosmarrëveshje disputes
parim principle
detyrime page wage arrears
pasiguri uncertainty
pasiguri ekonomike precariousness
zinxhir kontraktual contractual chain
përcillet transmitted
llogaridhënie accountability
mirëmbajtje maintenance
vështirësi difficulties
mirëqenie welfare
kushte higjienike sanitary conditions
shqetësues alarming
bojkot boycott
përballje confrontation
veprim sindikal industrial action
përshkallëzohet escalate
pagë minimale minimum wage
ofertë offer
përputhshmëri compliance
paga salaries
problem strukturor structural problem
zgjidhje settlement
staf mbështetës support staff
ndërvarësi interdependence
ekosistem ecosystem
pasiguri administrative administrative uncertainty
trysni pressure
besim confidence
disavantazh disadvantage
përqendrim concentration
rutinë routine
fleksibilitet flexibility
njëtrajtshmëri uniformity
zgjedhje mes alternativave trade-off
kufizim kohor time constraint
bashkërendim coordination
parashikueshmëri predictability
kompetencë competence
fragmentim fragmentation
përgjegjësi responsibility
cilësi quality
zbatim praktik execution
kapacitet capacity
përgatitje preparedness
marrëdhënie pune relations
fillim opening
largpamësi foresight
vazhdimësi continuity
qëndrueshmëri resilience
