In 2017, with the help of USAID’s After School Support for Teens (ASSET) Program, students at Xhevdet Doda High School in Pristina, worked with their teachers and parents to convert an unused space in their school into a state of the art “Makerspace”.
The Makerspace is a collaborative workspace, where students can participate in practical creative projects aimed at developing entrepreneurial attitudes and employability competences. The ASSET Program is providing a variety of technology and materials, to enable students to participate in practical creative projects, relating to science, technology, engineering, mathematics, art and music. They create solutions, design and make products, explore their own creative interests, and develop key competences and self-confidence.
In order to maintain the technology in the Makerspace, ASSET experts worked with students in the school to form and train a Student Technician Club. Student Technician Clubs were first introduced into Kosovo schools by USAID’s Basic Education Program 2010 – 2016. Student Technician Clubs provide workforce related training and experience to students while enabling schools to make better use of modern technology.
Following their training, in September 2018, the students produced an action plan for the coming year. Already they have accomplished much. They designed the logo on the left and drew up contracts, rules and regulations for the Club. They decided to take an oath which they all signed. This hangs on the wall as a symbol of their commitment.
“To show our dedication to the club, we created some personal vows which we attached to the wall with our signatures on them. These vows say that we will do our best, be optimistic, respect each other and take responsibility within the club.” (Era Tahiri)
An early task was to functionalize a number of old computers which had been donated to the school. They updated the drivers on the machines, fixed operating system problems and identified the software they would need in the makerspace before installing it.
After we received the laptops (a donation from a former USAID project), we took care of the basic programs. They were outdated, so we had to format them and reinstall Windows 10.” (Rinor Sadiku)
Their action plan includes planning and providing technical courses for students in use of equipment. They have been developing online systems for recording course participants and their right of use of equipment. So other students cannot use equipment until they have been trained in its use. Club member, Ilirian Thaçi described some of their upcoming activities:
“In the next few weeks we plan to train the new students to use the equipment. We also plan to create a website for the school. Another idea was to create signs to attach to doors, so that it will be easier for newcomers to the school to find their way around. I came to this school in the 11th grade, and personally it was a bit difficult for me to orientate myself.”
The door nameplates were made with the Makerspaces laser cutter. Ilirian went on to explain how they plan create new products which they can sell. They demonstrated a small cover that they made on the 3D printer, which protects a damaged iPhone lead.
All the students are from the 12th Grade and will graduate at the end of this school year. In order to make the Club sustainable, they have issued a call for new members from the 11th grade and selected a group who they will train to manage the Club in the next year.
One of their main concerns was their teachers’ lack of understanding of modern technology and its use in schools. They are planning teacher training courses in the use of the equipment in the Makerspace and will assist teachers when they use them in lessons. Other activities planned are:
• Organize a presentation of their work at a science fair;
• Participate in a robotics competition; and
• Help students with careers orientation by researching university courses inside and outside Kosovo
The Club members are clearly motivated and enjoy the responsibilities that membership brings.
“We really enjoy being part of this club because we do work and get things done. It’s a place to enjoy ourselves,
have fun and also create new things.” (Rinesa Rafuna)
“I am very motivated to do work here. The group is fun, and the environment is not as strict as it is in classes.
That creates more space for us to have fun,
therefore, we are more motivated to do things.” (Erzë Hoxha)
In a labor market which continuously reports a mismatch between the needed skills and the ones taught in schools,young Kosovars are in a constant need for guidance about what careers they want in the future. This is where career guidance comes in, opening a path for high school students and widening their horizons with information about career options that are available to them.
Considering the limited resources that high schools in Kosovo are faced with, the USAID ASSET Program has been a supportive ally, assisting them in better providing students with the necessary guidance. The program which is officially named After School Support for Teens has been running since 2017 with various components which strengthen the capabilities of both teachers and students, aiming to provide them with better skills which increase employability and entrepreneurship initiatives. One of the components strives to tackle the problem of the lack of career guidance in high schools through training teachers about career orientation.The three-day training sessions, which were held in the Xhevdet Doda and Hajdar Dushi high schools in Prishtina and Gjakova respectively, were designed to increase the capacities of high schools teachers to provide such guidance to their students.
In the first two sessions, the teachers learned about what career guidance is and how they can best go about informing their students, while the third session was for the teachers to present the work that they had done with students in classes 10, 11 and 12.
Overall, the teachers who received the training said that that the students had enjoyed the career orientation classes as they facilitated research and group work skills. The teachers had incorporated different components, starting from opening professional email addresses and learning how to write an email, learning how to use the official career guidance platform Busulla.com, exploring career options with interviews of those who are already in those paths, writing CVs and cover letters, and organizing mock job interviews.
Some of the teachers went above and beyond what was expected of them, providing students with a comprehensive and repetitive learning experience about their careers. They had coordinated so that each teacher provide different components of career guidance depending on their profiles. All the teachers were excited and committed to learning how to better provide students with the necessary knowledge that will open a path for a better future and more employment opportunities. They welcomed feedback from the trainers and even went on to ask to be signed up for additional training sessions within the ASSET program. The story of these teachers and their enthusiasm to become better education providers shows how Kosovo’s teachers are increasingly welcoming opportunities to develop themselves and communicate these skills to their students. Our education system, despite all the criticism it gets for being underdeveloped is becoming better thanks to the support of different initiatives and programs such as the USAID ASSET and its complements.