The previous and current governments in post-war Kosovo have directed their education policies and public discourse toward improving the infrastructure of educational institutions. Their efforts have mainly targeted primary and secondary education.

Governments in power have largely neglected more substantive problems, such as outdated teaching methods and textbook quality. They have also failed to invest in early childhood education institutions, particularly kindergartens, which are crucial for fostering critical thinking, curiosity and problem-solving skills during this vital stage of education.

Low access to early childhood education is one of the biggest challenges in Kosovo’s education system, as widely documented by statistics from the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) and reports from international organizations. According to MESTI, in the 2023/2024 school year, only 8.9% of the 107,710 children under the age of five attended preschool education. Similarly, World Bank data from 2022 shows that Kosovo had the lowest enrollment rate in the Western Balkans, with only 19.5% of children ages six and younger enrolled in early childhood education and care institutions.

For children from low-income families the situation is even more dire, primarily due to the lack of public kindergartens centers. According to MESTI, there are only 62 public kindergartens across Kosovo, with nine cities having none at all. This gap is partially filled by approximately 177 private kindergartens. In total, 239 facilities are in operation, but they cannot accommodate all children in the age group for kindergartens.

The high cost of private daycare centers compared to public ones makes access to daycare difficult. Parents pay about 50 euros per month to register a child in a public kindergarten center, while private kindergartens centers charge significantly more, ranging from 80 to 250 euros.

Children from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds are prioritized in public kindergarten centres. Factors considered for this prioritization include family income, belonging to war-related groups or being raised by a single parent. Additionally, limited access to public daycare and the high costs of private daycare force parents to rely on family members for childcare or, more often, place the burden of care on women.

The law on early childhood education and care recognizes early childhood education as the process of stimulating children to reach their full potential from birth until they enter the first grade of primary school. Day cares and kindergartens play a crucial role in children’s development by providing a safe and stimulating environment that fosters social, emotional and cognitive growth.

These institutions help children develop essential skills such as communication, cooperation and emotional management, alongside engaging in educational and physical activities. In general, PISA reports indicate that students who have attended early education perform significantly better in its international tests. In these tests, 15-year-olds in Kosovo consistently rank near the bottom, relative to peers in other countries.

Kindergartens and day care centers not only support child development but also play a crucial role in promoting gender equality in the labor market. By taking on the primary responsibility of childcare, daycare centers enable women to achieve economic independence and career development.

According to 2023 data from the Kosovo Agency of Statistics (KAS), 75.8% of Kosovo’s working-age women are not economically active, compared to 42.2% of men. Women make up 24.2% of the active labor market in Kosovo, and only 19.8% of that group is employed. These numbers are significantly higher for men, as 53.4% of the 57.8% of working-age men in the active labor market are employed.

In this context, early childhood education institutions become essential, particularly for single mothers who, without the support from those institutions, face limited opportunities for work and personal or professional development. These institutions also play a role in reducing gender stereotypes by challenging conservative views that often confine women’s roles to childcare responsibilities.

In recent years, political parties have started paying more attention to the importance of increasing the number of kinderegartens. Nearly all parties now include promises related to early education in their election programs. However, these programs oversimplify the solution to a complex issue by focusing on steps like constructing buildings and subsidizing fees for families, without addressing other aspects of effective planning or the broader problem.

In the lead up to the 2025 general elections, K2.0 analyzed the plans of the three largest political entities: the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), which is competing in coalition with the Social Democratic Initiative, the E-30 Intellectual Forum Party and the Conservative List.

Vetëvendosje (VV) has not yet published its election program. As a result, K2.0 analyzed the steps it has taken while governing the country over the past four years to assess what another mandate could entail if they secure one.

VV’s orientation in the last four years

During the 2021 general election campaign, VV published a program, parts of which were later transformed into a government program. In the field of education, the program envisioned increasing access to early education from 7% to 24%. VV pledged to achieve this by building 160 new kindergartens during its mandate, which included plans to repurpose existing school spaces into kindergartens day cares, as well as offering payment facilities or exemptions for families in need.

The promise of 160 kindergartens proved to be overly ambitious and became a target of criticism from the opposition after it became clear that the government had failed to fulfill this commitment.

In March 2024, Minister of Education Arbërie Nagavci stated that the ministry had completed the construction of four kindergartens. Additionally, 18 were under construction and nine facilities were in the process of adaptation.

Government and municipal officials have blamed each other for the delay in fulfilling the promise of 160 kindergartens. Nagavci stated that municipalities must submit a request, along with the permit and urban plan, for the central government to begin construction. However, some municipalities have claimed that they submitted the required request and documents, but that construction on the kindergartens had not started even after at least a year.

According to the 2025 budget, approximately 5 million euros have been allocated for the construction of kindergartens. However, as has often been the case, budget projections do not guarantee the implementation of projects included in the budget and often remain merely conceptual allocations of government grants. This is further evidenced by the transfer of financial resources from year to year, as most of the funds allocated for kindergartens in 2025 have been carried over from 2024.

Meanwhile, 2.8 million euros have been allocated for the construction of 18 modular kindergarten centers. These centers are built using prefabricated parts assembled at designated locations, a method considered effective for rapidly increasing the number of kindergartens centers, as conventional construction requires significantly more financial resources and time.

In the 2025 budget, modular kindergartens are planned for construction in seven regions: Prishtina, Mitrovica, Gjilan, Ferizaj, Peja, Prizren and Gjakova. However, the budget does not provide details on how these kindergartens will be distributed across the listed municipalities or the rationale behind their allocation.

The addition of 160 new kindergartens during this mandate has not been fulfilled, and this plan appears difficult to implement even in a potential future mandate. The only programmatic references to VV’s ideas are public promises made during the campaign and the 2025 budget, which lacks detailed plans for constructing the remaining kindergartens centers from the initial promise.

Although the promised 160 kindergartens are still far from being realized, a positive step toward including more children in early education was made by the end of 2024. In December 2024, the pilot phase of a subsidies scheme began, subsidizing families in the regions of Pristina, Lipjan and Gjilan who receive social assistance, enabling them to send their children aged three to five to kindergartens.

The program will cover childcare and transportation costs for six months, the duration of the pilot. According to the government’s announcement, the pilot is part of a broader project supported by a 20 million euro loan from the World Bank. This project includes broader investments in the early childhood education sector, such as improving the regulatory framework, building institutional capacity and training teachers and healthcare professionals.

Democratic Party of Kosovo

Outlining its plans for education, PDK states that it aims to implement a “comprehensive national program for early childhood development,” but this topic is only briefly addressed.

The program goes on to mention three other specific elements: significantly increasing the number of children in preschool institutions, expanding kindergartens’ capacities and increasing the inclusion of children with disabilities in preschool education. PDK promises to “undertake a major initiative to build new kindergartens in all regions,” but it provides no further details regarding costs or other aspects of the planning.

More specifically, the promise of a 100-euro subsidy for private kindergartens fees to families who cannot afford to enroll their children in public institutions is outlined. However, the variable prices of private kindergartens centers mean that a uniform subsidy of 100 euros fails to address the reality of implementing this policy. For instance, the program does not specify the number of families that could benefit from the subsidy, their geographical distribution or the overall cost of the subsidy program.

Democratic League of Kosovo

LDK envisions a national program for early education, pledging to increase the budget for kindergartens construction by 15 million euros annually, with a promise to build 20 kindergartens per year. This plan would result in the construction of 80 kindergartens during a government mandate, costing a total of 60 million euros.

However, based on the current government’s experience with over-promising on kindergartens construction, the feasibility of LDK’s plan to build 20 kindergartens annually raises significant questions. These doubts are amplified by the high costs of building kindergarten facilities and the time required for their construction.

In September 2023, the government signed a contract to build a kindergartens in the village of Godanc, in the municipality of Shtime. Construction began a month later and is projected to take two years to complete. According to the contract, the project will cost over 400,000 euros. Meanwhile, in areas with schools that have unused spaces, LDK promises to invest in adapting these spaces to serve as kindergartens but does not provide further details about this commitment.

Additionally, LDK promises to achieve a 95% inclusion rate of children aged three to five in early education, an ambitious plan that raises questions about its feasibility. As of the 2023-24 school year, the inclusion rate for this age group was only 36.8%.

Coalition of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo and NISMA

The AAK and NISMA coalition wrote their election program on education in generalized language, mentioning various issues without proposing any substantial or concrete policies.

The program does not address Kosovo’s low access to early education. However, party officials have made public statements about the idea of implementing a program to construct a model for kindergartens, which, according to them, would be built within 40 days.

As common in other parties, the coalition has failed to conduct a serious study of the current situation. Their promise to build new kindergartens lacks context, as they have not based it on concrete assessments of on-the-ground needs, financial costs or project timelines.

What can we learn from these election programs

In these election programs, the major political parties acknowledge the problem of low access to early childhood education. Yet the absence of a more concrete approach leaves attempts to address this issue at a superficial level.

The parties lack a holistic perspective and a long-term vision, particularly one that connects increased access to early childhood education with the integration of women into the labor market or better school performance.

Creating models for kindergartens appear to be creative solutions to the problem, addressing the urgency for action in this area. These ideas recognize the importance of early childhood education and aim to meet infrastructure needs at a faster pace than has been achieved in recent decades.

Since Kosovo is still in the early stages of building a proper network of public kindergartens, institutions have the opportunity to take the right steps toward creating an inclusive early education system that reaches all children. This effort must also extend to regions outside the largest urban centers, where public investments often face significant challenges.

Briefly mentioned in party programs, but not properly addressed, is access to early education for children with disabilities. This issue requires a more substantive approach that goes beyond addressing only infrastructural needs.

Buildings and other infrastructural improvements, while necessary, are not the only need and do not address the significant shortcomings in this area. This is evident even at the higher levels of education, where infrastructure is in better condition, yet the system still fails to meet its obligations to students.

Feature Image: Dina Hajrullahu / K2.0

Political parties' pledges on kindergartens

K2.0 analyzes election programs.

Arian Lumezi

Political parties' pledges on kindergartens

K2.0 analyzes election programs.

Arian Lumezi