Back to School - U-Reporters’ opinions and perceptions on the reopening of schools in Kosovo

Highlights

As the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic unravel lives across Kosovo, children and young people emerge among the most affected. School closure affected around 345,000 children and adolescents in Kosovo, and the lack of play, socialization and peer interaction may significantly affect psychosocial wellbeing and development of children and adolescents.

In light of this situation, the UNICEF Kosovo Office in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Science launched a U-Report poll on the reopening of schools for the academic year 2020/2021. A total of 1577 U-REPORTERS responded to the poll launched on October 6, 2020, with a 96% response rate. Around 60% of those U-Reporters were under the age of 24, with most (40%) being between 15 and 19 years of age.

The poll results highlight the following:

• The majority of U-Reporters (62%) feel happy about schools reopening and want to continue in-school learning during this academic year (65%).

• More than half of U-Reporters feel confident that students are sufficiently informed about Covid-19 preventive measures (55%).

• U-Reporters consider that most educational institutions have some means of Covid-19 prevention (39% reported to have enough, 37% reported to have some, but needing more).

Other opinions for further consideration:

• Distance learning was considered as not enjoyable by 1 in 3 U-Reporters aged 15 to 19.
• When asked on ways to make the learning process more effective, the top three choices of U-Reporters were: smaller class sizes, flexibility in choosing whether to attend online or in-school classes, and strict enforcement of Covid-19 preventive measures.
• Additional attention might have to be paid to enforcing Covid-19 preventive measures in schoolyards and hallways.

For more detailed information, please download the full report.

As the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic unravel lives across Kosovo, children and young people emerge among the most affected. School closure affected around 345,000 children and adolescents in Kosovo, and the lack of play, socialization and peer interaction may significantly affect psychosocial wellbeing and development of children and adolescents. In light of this situation, the UNICEF Kosovo Office in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Science launched a U-Report poll on the reopening of schools for the academic year 2020/2021. A total of 1577 U-REPORTERS responded to the poll launched on October 6, 2020, with a 96% response rate. Around 60% of those U-Reporters were under the age of 24, with most (40%) being between 15 and 19 years of age.

The majority of U-Reporters (62%) feel happy about schools reopening and want to continue in-school learning during this academic year (65%). One in two U-Reporters thinks that schools reopening are good for students because they can return to their routine (31%) or they can meet their friends again (17%), whereas one in three U-Reporters aged 15 to 19 reported not enjoying distance learning. Over a quarter of U-Reporters thought smaller class sizes would be most helpful in making the learning process more effective. On COVID-19 prevention, U-Reporters’ opinions mostly suggest that students have the knowledge and the means to protect themselves. For more detailed information, please download the full report.