Written by: Egezon Baruti
A few years ago, I wrote an article about the worrying PISA results, asking: “Was the PISA test a surprise or reality?” Today, with the development of artificial intelligence, we have the opportunity to answer a new question: can AI become the savior of education in Kosovo?
The bitter reality remains the same. The PISA 2022 results place Kosovo in last place in Europe, with only a fifth of students achieving basic proficiency in mathematics compared to the OECD average. As I had noted in 2020, this was no surprise – even internal testing showed poor results, especially in physics and science subjects. Unfortunately, our schools suffer from a lack of infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms where over half work in double shifts, and an acute shortage of qualified teachers.
The financial cost of failure is alarming. Every year, the Kosovo government spends about 10 million euros for the purchase of textbooks for approximately 300,000 students. In parallel, Kosovar families pay additional 150-200 euros per child for supplementary materials, books and other educational resources. This means that our education system costs over 60 million euros per year just for teaching materials – a massive investment that is producing unsatisfactory results.
But today we have a new ray of hope. International research shows that AI can produce tremendous improvements in teaching, offering solutions to many of our problems. Imagine if The 10 million euros we spend every year on books we would invest in developing a Kosovar AI-based educational system. Instead of textbooks that become outdated within a year, we would have a system that updates automatically, adapts to the needs of each student, and integrates the best global content.
Now imagine building an AI system for education together with Albania – not just like Kosovo? An Albanian system where both our children and the children of the diaspora can benefit, with a special curriculum that would enable them to learn without forgetting the Albanian language. This would be the most ambitious educational project in the history of our nation – an AI platform that unites over 3 million Albanian children from Kosovo, Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, the Valley and the global diaspora.
One of the greatest advantages of AI is its ability to overcome language and cultural barriers. High-quality educational content from around the world can be integrated and adapted for our Albanian context. Teaching materials from prestigious universities, interactive learning platforms, and scholarly resources can be made available in the Albanian language with accurate and culturally appropriate translations.
Imagine an AI model trained specifically for the Albanian curriculum, which contains all the best educational content from around the world. In the world of AI and technology, one of the main problems is updating textbooks and teaching materials – a process that costs a lot of time and money. But with AI, instead of spending millions of euros on buying expensive textbooks that are often outdated the moment they are printed, our teachers can generate high-quality content with a simple prompt and print it.
This means that a math teacher can create personalized exercises for her class, tailored to the level of her students and local examples. A history teacher can generate materials that connect world events to the Kosovar context. A science teacher can create safe and feasible experiments with the tools available in our school. All of this, without having to wait years for new textbooks to be approved or for special budgets.
Personalized learning represents perhaps the most revolutionary aspect of AI in education. Children are like flowers – each type has its own specific needs to grow and bloom. Just as you can’t water a rose like you can a tulip, every student has their own unique learning pace, style, and method. AI can identify these individual differences and tailor lessons to each child’s needs.
In our overcrowded classrooms, where a teacher must manage up to forty students, personalized learning has been practically impossible. AI can change this reality. Intelligent systems can monitor the progress of each student, identify specific difficulties, and provide additional exercises or alternative explanations for those who need them.
The financial calculation is convincing. With these 10 million euros, we could have gradually equipped every student in the school with tablets that they can use inside the school, plus an AI system to ensure that these tablets are used only for learning. Such an investment could:
Within a few years, all 300,000 students would have their own personal tablets, programmed solely for education. These tablets would contain the entire curriculum in Albanian, interactive exercises, and access to the world's best educational resources – all tailored to the level of each student.
After the first year, maintenance costs would be a fraction of the 10 million euros we currently spend on books, while the quality and personalization would be on another level. Every student would have the world's largest library in their hands, with content that automatically updates and adapts to his learning style. Within five years, Kosovar families could save over 200 million euros from the costs of educational materials, while our children will receive education at the level of the most advanced countries. If tablets seem like a luxury and a hassle to implement, then a printer and A4 sheets are enough.
AI can also help our teachers, which are often overwhelmed and unsupported. Artificial intelligence tools can automate many administrative tasks, create personalized lesson plans, grade homework, and provide detailed reports on student progress. This will give teachers more time for what they do best – directly interacting with students and inspiring them.
Cost sharing between countries would make the project even more feasible., while the impact would be historic: for the first time, all Albanian children would have access to the same quality education system, regardless of where they live. Our diaspora, which often struggles to preserve the Albanian language and culture in its children, would have a powerful tool to keep national identity alive.
We cannot expect AI to solve all our problems immediately, but we can start with pilot projects in selected schools, evaluate the results, and gradually expand use. It is important to train teachers, ensure that the technology is accessible to all, and maintain the human element in the teaching process.
Kosovo has the youngest population in Europe – this is our greatest advantage. With a smart investment of 10 million euros in AI and education, we can turn this demographic potential into a force that will lead our country towards a brighter future. The question is no longer whether AI can help Kosovar education – it is how quickly we can turn this cost into an investment that will bear fruit for decades.
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