Functional Review of the Ministry of Education, Science and ...

Based on this analysis, we make 2 recommendations:
Recommendation A.1: Do not reduce staff at the MEST. Strengthen staff numbers for R&D area
and special support area by gradual increase and rebalancing of the HR resources.
Recommendation A.2: Design and implement a new MEST’s organizational structure based on 2
levels with the following basic rules:
the units at the upper level are generally called departments, the units at the lower level are
generally called divisions; other names can also be used,
each unit at the lower level is a part of a unit at the upper level,
there are no initial limitations on the size and structure of organizational units,
department may or may not be divided into divisions,
the partition of a department into division need not involve all members of the department.
Further findings and recommendations on the organizational structure can be found throughout the whole
text of the report.
Human resources
Capacity of the MEST human resources is the most frequently mentioned problem in all assessment
materials on education sector in Kosovo. For example, in the above mentioned Swedish study we can find
that “the current administration has encountered serious difficulties in managing the education sector due
to ...inexperience of political and civil staff ...” though “it should be recognized that there have been
significant capacity building initiatives (albeit not very systematic) supported by both local institutions and
international partners, but with limited effect capacity development has mostly been supply-driven and
largely fragmented and has proved to be mostly only marginally effective. Support to capacity
development has to respond more to a clear demand and be designed and implemented under partner
government leadership. In order to better approach this key area – essential for successful sector-wide
program design and implementation – a new approach is needed, including simple and effective capacity
needs assessment tools and the design of an overarching capacity development plan.” As can be seen
also from these observations, capacity building activities in education sector have been currently initiated
and performed mainly by donors and not by the MEST. Moreover, the effect of these activities has been
limited. The MEST’s HR unit has no plan for capacity building. There is a clear need for a strategic
document for capacity building, but this should not delay activities in the most urgent areas (basic training
in the financial and IT issues, information on new regulations and organizing courses in languages).
Though with limited effect, some capacity building activities have been recently performed and it would be
helpful to have a list of these activities and their participants when preparing a new HR capacity building
plan.
Recommendation A.3: Prepare a short-term interim plan for HR development of MEST’s employees
in the most urgent areas (financial and IT literacy, new regulations, languages).
Recommendation A.4: Build a database of learning activities that were provided by donors and
their participants as well as those activities that are under preparation and use it in managing the
MEST’s capacity building.
Recommendation A.5: Prepare in cooperation with international experts within the upcoming
SWAP FOR EDUCATION project a strategic document on HR capacity building. 4 The first step of a
comprehensive solution of the HR capacity building problem is a strategic plan. The roadmap for
the preparation of such a plan has already been prepared in the Swedish study.
4 Developing such a document is recommended also in the Report III of the Swedish study (roadmap 2).
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