Dossier KIJAC ENG - Rrokum TV

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What does the Norwegian Foreign Ministry say on this case Suddenly, on 19 April 2011, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway, Mr. Jonas Gahr Støre, came for a first visit to Kosovo. He met with the Prime Minister Thaci, and he held a press conference after this meeting. This was a good opportunity to address a public question to Mr. Gahr Støre on the KIJAC case, which is a project funded by his Ministry. When the journalist from Rrokum Television asked the minister whether he is informed about the KIJAC project failure that his Ministry had funded, the minister replied that he does not know anything about this case and that he will immediately ask the Norwegian embassy staff in Kosovo to bring all necessary information to Rrokum Television regarding the KIJAC case. The first visit of Mr. Gahr Støre was also published on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, and it was illustrated with photographs from Kosovo press, creating the impression that his visit was successful and that it followed the general framework of the support that Kosovo was given to meet international standards and its ambition for European Union integration (see: http://www.norwaykosovo.no/News_and_events/Norwegian-Foreign-Minister-Mr-Jonas-Gahr-Storevisits-Kosovo/). Few days later, the response that Rrokum Television received from the Norwegian Embassy in Kosovo, revealed all the seismic force of a scandal that had not yet exploded in the volcano, which will affect directly the respective Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr. Jon Hansen, deputy chief of mission answered the questions of the investigative journalist of Rrokum TV. In the question of whether the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Norway in Kosovo are informed with the KIJAC case, Mr. Hansen wrote, « The Ministry has been informed about the situation related to KIJAC since the beginning of this year. The Ministry takes very seriously the allegations for financial misconduct and the failure of KIJAC to have obtained the necessary accreditation from Kosovo’s authorities for the curriculum. Therefore, the Ministry has initiated its own investigation into those allegations in order to get the facts on the table. This process is ongoing, therefore it is too early to draw any conclusions. We nevertheless hope to finalize our investigation soon». Mr. Hansen confirms to Rrokum TV that the Faculty of Journalism KIJAC has stopped its activity and that the KIJAC students thanks to an agreement with the American University in Kosovo will continue their studies to this university until they are finished. The figure that Mr. Hansen mentioned regarding the fund for the KIJAC project is different from the one that the school manager Kaare Melhus gave us. Mr. Melhus says that the Foreign Ministry of Norway donated 6 million Euros, while Mr. Hansen said that aprx. 6.25 million were donated to KIJAC for five years. 4 4 “Norway disbursed a total amount of approx euro 6,25 million from 2005- 2010 to the project.”
Is KIJAC closed or not? Mr. Kaare Melhus' answer is categorically negative. «No, KIJAC is not closed. As I said in my last e-mail, we still have 59 students who are working on their dissertations. We receive about 1000 Euros per year per student, in tuition fees. In addition we did receive a modest amount of revenue through the KIJAC Center. KIJAC was also audited by the Norwegian audit company “Inter Revisjon” ». Mr. Jan Hansen, Deputy Ambassador of the Embassy of Norway in Kosovo, as well as Kaare Melhus, Norway Gimlekollen director, say that after closing KIJAC, the 59 remaining students were sent in the American University in Kosovo (AUK) to continue their studies. Researchers of Rrokum TV have contacted the authorities of AUK and the remaining students of KIJAC and discovered a different reality. Dafina Paca, who worked as a lecturer in KIJAC until its closure, and who is now the coordinator for the 60 remining students (she corrects Mr. Melhus’ number of students), who are already KIJAC students on AUK, said that they are only using the AUK premises to complete their MA studies and have no other connection and cooperation with this university. « After closing the KIJAC, myself, the mentors and the students are operating at AUK, until the 60 students will complete their master degre. I am also engaged by the Norwegian government to coordinate and supervise these works, and all this is done by the Norwegian government and the fund that they created to cover the costs of teachers and students until the completion of the master », said Dafina Paca. On this issue, Ilir Ibrahimi, AUK official, said that AUK has been generous and has accepted these students in the university premises to avoid that these students remain on the streets. However, the university does not benefit anything from this situation. « AUK has been involved in this work by offering these students a space where they can work, understanding that KIJAC is now closed and there is no KIJAC building where these students can finish their studies. Given that the students have been somehow left without a solution, as an institution of higher education we felt a moral obligation to help », said Ilir Ibrahimi. He further explained the misunderstanding that was spread regarding these 60 KIJAC students as allegedly incorporated at the American University of Kosovo , « These students are not included as part of AUK. We only offer them he premises as a space where they can continue to finish their master studies. At the end of their studies these 60 students will receive KIJAC diplomas not the AUK degree, which explains that these students are not incorporated as students of the American University in Kosovo ». Aditionally, Mr. Ibrahim added that « after closing KIJAC, with the consent from the Norwegian government, all the devices that used to belong to KIJAC, were taken from there and are today locked in a warehouse at AUK. These devices are not being used until a solution is found for them ». Asked whether there has been an earlier agreement between KIJAC and AUK, Mr. Ibrahimi said that « there has never been an agreement between these two institutions,
Page 1 and 2: RROKUM TELEVISION INVESTIGATIVE JOU
Page 3 and 4: From the left: Willem Houwen and Du
Page 5 and 6: Who launched the project officially
Page 7 and 8: a course of study leading to the aw
Page 9: The building that was selected was
Page 13 and 14: ANNEX 1. Facsimil of the MoU 2. Fac
Page 16 and 17: Two first pages of the official pub
Page 18 and 19: Dear Mrs. Rafuna, Thank you for you

Dossier KIJAC ENG - Rrokum TV

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