Dossier "KIJAC" (Shqip) - Rrokum TV

Statement by the Cardiff School of Journalism, Media & CulturalStudies, Cardiff University, on its involvement in the KosovoInstitute of Journalism and Communications (Kijac)April 6 2011Between 2005 and 2010, Cardiff University allowed a small number of theacademic staff from its School of Journalism, Media & Cultural Studies toteach some academic components of a course offered by the KosovoInstitute of Journalism and Communications (Kijac). The lecturers involvedeach spent one or two weeks a year teaching in Kosovo. This indicated theuniversity’s commitment to the development of Kosovo, and to fostering afree and open media culture within the newest of Europe's states. Otherparts of the Kijac course were taught by other institutions or by individualswith expertise in journalism skills.Cardiff University’s teaching met the highest standards – standards thatmake the Cardiff School of Journalism, Media & Cultural Studies one of thetop three journalism studies institutions in the UK. We are proud of thiscontribution. Our contribution also included providing two PhD scholarshipsand one MA scholarship to three Kosovars whom Kijac wanted to develop asindigenous teaching staff on the project. Those Cardiff University staff whotaught at Kijac part-financed these three scholarships out of the fees theywere paid for their work in Kosovo.Cardiff University’s involvement in the Kijac project was limited. Cardiff’srole was confined to contributing specialised teaching on part of the course.Nebraska University in the United States made a similar, limitedcontribution. Cardiff University was willing publicly to acknowledge its inputinto the course to indicate the quality of instruction that Kijac students werereceiving. But Cardiff University (like Nebraska) had no responsibility for theleadership, management, administration, funding and staffing of the project.Cardiff also did not have any responsibility for the accreditation of the courseas an academic degree. Under the agreements that established Kijac, theGovernment of Kosovo and the project leader that exercised executivepowers, the Gimlekollen School of Journalism and Communication, took onresponsibility for the accreditation of the degree. As a matter of policy,Cardiff University does not accredit any degree unless, among otherconditions, members of its own staff teach all aspects and components of acourse of study leading to the award of that degree. This condition, amongothers, was not satisfied by the Kijac project.Questions about the issue of accreditation of a Kijac degree -- and about all17