This year's State Matura Exam will be organized on June 21, and around 20 high school graduates will take this test.
Officials from the Ministry of Education told Radio Kosova that the format of the test is the same as last year, while there will be measures for those who violate the rules. Experts on education issues say that the Matura test should be more aligned with the PISA test.
Erda Xhoni, Anita Qajani and Altin Curri, are three high school graduates from the “Dardania” high school in Han i Elezit, who are preparing to take the State Matura Exam. They hope that they will achieve the results they are aiming for.
"We have opened accounts on e-Kosova, since we can apply from there. In the meantime, after the teaching process ends, we have decided to make preparations with professors in the subjects that we will be tested on," said Erda.
"They informed us about all the rules, about the progress of the matura test, the application, we have opened accounts in e-Kosova so that this process goes smoothly," said Anita.
"I'm better in other subjects, but I'm a little behind in Mathematics. I consulted with the professor, who helped us and taught us about the tasks that could be on the test," said Altini.
Erda, Anita and Altini are among the approximately 20 high school graduates who are expected to take the State Matura Exam, which will be held on June 21. This number may change, as those who did not pass the test last year will also appear for this test.
The Acting Head of the Division for Quality Assurance, Standards, Assessment and Licensing at the Ministry of Education, Fatmir Elezi, announced to Radio Kosova that they are completing preparations for the smooth conduct of this testing. He also provided details about the organization, while also talking about measures against violators of the rules.
"The procedures this year are the same, where high school graduates must have an account open on e-Kosova to submit the State Matura Exam. High school graduates will be tested in three main areas: Mother Tongue, English, Mathematics and an elective subject. They must go to the test day with only a pencil and an identification document, and they should not attempt to copy. No phones are allowed in the testing room. The main measure is to leave the test and lose that deadline. Measures against administrators are also foreseen according to the Matura Law," he said.
The learning process for high school graduates ends on May 15th and, as the director of the "Dardania" High School in Han i Elezit, Ziber Xhoni, announced to Radio Kosova, they are working according to a dynamic plan with teachers for the Matura Test.
"A dynamic plan has been made by teachers of the relevant fields: Albanian Language, English Language, Mathematics and elective subjects. So, after May 15, additional lessons will be held, so that students can prepare and be successful in the Matura Test," he said.
Education expert Xhavit Rexhaj says that the Matura Test should be more aligned with the PISA test, while emphasizing that some of the test questions do not match the nature of the competency curricula.
"Standardized tests should also be implemented in the 'online' mode, because when our children are entering PISA, they are not understanding that testing method. The world is moving away from the 'online' mode. The questions are not matching the nature of the competency curricula, because they are testing the content of memorization, not testing preparation for life, not testing problem solving, not testing the use of knowledge to solve problems to prepare for life and education," he said.
The Matura exam is organized in one day only, and there will be a total of 100 applications, 25 for each subject. The Ministry of Education has emphasized that the passing criteria will remain the same, while the results will be published on June 30. Those who do not pass the Matura exam in the first term can take this test in the second term, which will be held on August 28.
