Contradictions of the Educational System

The significant increase in the number of Albanian workers from Kosovo and their families in Slovenia, occurring over the last decade, is somewhat altering the country's demographic profile, particularly in certain urban centers. In accordance with the rise of global ideological tensions—resulting from the monopolization of capital and the subordination of states to international financial institutions—this shift is triggering a certain level of intolerance. In our case, this is ideologically grounded in the image of the Albanian as the "Other," dating back to the era of Yugoslavia. The very name of the former common state tells us it was conceived as a land of South Slavs—people belonging to a specific genetic pool and, primarily, speakers of Slavic languages. Albanians never occupied a fully equal place in this concept of "Brotherhood and Unity," even though Kosovo was part of the state and despite the Yugoslav leadership briefly considering unification with Albania in the post-war period. The breakup of the country began with an interethnic crisis resulting from the repression of the Albanian people in Kosovo, an autonomous province of the former state.

It is interesting to observe how inherited "leftist" Albanophobia manifests in accusations against Janez Janša, claiming he is actually Albanian. These allegations reveal how the Albanian community is perceived by a segment of the Slovenian population: as a conspiratorial foreign body insidiously infiltrating the nation's fabric. This is undoubtedly reinforced by the speaking of an unintelligible language, the relative seclusion of Albanian communities (which is certainly also a product of the majority community's closure toward them), and their internal solidarity and success in certain trades. In this regard, Albanophobia resembles a classic form of antisemitism.

Amidst all the myths and stereotypes regarding Albanians in Slovenia, the documentary New Classmates (Novi sošolci) arrived at just the right moment. It presents the issue of integrating Albanian children into the Slovenian school system from various perspectives—a task that is specific and more demanding precisely due to the linguistic difference. While children speaking other South Slavic languages—given that citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina still strongly dominate the number of immigrants—integrate relatively easily due to linguistic proximity, it is much harder for Albanian children.

The issue is presented in an engaging manner. As a co-creator of television programs largely aimed at youth—such as past shows about the legendary School Basketball League—director Toni Cahunek possesses a wide range of skills necessary for preparing such a documentary. He is capable of delivering a vast amount of information and perspectives in a short time without losing the audience's attention. Simultaneously, he has a keen eye for smaller Slovenian urban environments, which he has engaged with throughout his television and film career—as a music journalist, an actor in the hit film Tu pa tam, and so on. The film features several successful panoramic shots of Kranj, Koper, and Žalec.

Journalistic qualities are reflected in the inclusion of diverse perspectives. On one side are two girls who, through their articulateness and academic success, serve as positive examples and present the experience from their viewpoint; on the other are two younger boys enrolled in a school with an adapted curriculum. On one side are principals and officials, on the other, parents. On one side, the Slovenian environment, on the other, the Kosovar one; on one side, the expectations of the immigrants, on the other, the expectations of the new environment. In this way, a balanced mosaic is built from statistical data, perceptions of integration practices, relationships within the school environment, the struggles of school employees and bureaucrats, and capital's demand for cheap labor. In addition to direct interviews, the variety of the presentation is enhanced by staged conversations between participants, while the film's dynamism is visually emphasized by a handheld camera.

There can be no complaints regarding the content provided. The multifaceted portrayal of relations between communities is informative and humanizes the newcomers. However, the film leaves certain questions open that transcend the pragmatism of integration into state institutions and exploitative labor relations. Despite the fact that the crisis-driven management of the situation in schools, based on improvisation, reveals contradictions worth questioning, these remain largely unaddressed.

The difficulty of integrating immigrants is just one of many issues facing the modern school system. This system was founded to serve industrial capitalism, aiming to habituate children to a regime of early rising and disciplined behavior in schools designed like factory plants—divided into classes as production units with their foremen (class teachers)—and through training via the school bell, the rationalization of time, the evaluation of productivity, the meeting of norms, and habituation to dry labor that may not be intimately close to us. It was a disciplinary institution typical of modern society, which is now in crisis within a post-disciplinary, postmodern society. This is reflected in constant complaints about a lack of discipline and teacher authority, as well as the obsolescence of existing methods of delivering information in an age of digitized and divergently mediated knowledge. Schools are increasingly becoming breeding grounds for mediocrity, as well as violence against the weak and primitivism. However, multi-generational involvement in this mode of education, which is historically contingent in itself, creates an impression that the existing school system is self-evident. It is a dogma to which the reality "on the ground" must adapt, rather than a flexible institution that adapts to social needs.

We can question whether it is truly so self-evident in the case of those students whose parents do not expect great academic success and wish to prepare them for the earliest possible entry into the unskilled occupations mentioned in the film. The very lack of unskilled labor is one of the reasons for the immigration of Kosovars. If, on the one hand, we expect immigrant children to surpass the status of their parents, we imply that unskilled jobs will have to be performed by new immigrants from new environments—and so ad infinitum. This brings us to the fundamental contradictions of capitalism itself. At the same time, one may reasonably ask whether the parents' desire for their children's early entry into the labor market—especially in trades where the Albanian community is traditionally successful and which bring financial stability—might even be an advantage compared to a standardized school curriculum that offers no added value in terms of general knowledge or critical thinking skills.

The next question is the inclusion of women. Even the heads of private kindergartens in Kosovo featured in the film accept modernization as self-evident. They understand the inclusion of women in the capitalist labor market for the benefit of capitalist profit and the state treasury as an inevitable part of progress, which will necessarily lead to greater inclusion of children in kindergartens and, consequently, better preparation for compulsory schooling. But is the atomization of families and the appropriation of children by the state for the needs of capital not actually one of the key problems of modern alienation? What qualifies the state to manage family relationships? Does the inclusion of women in the labor market truly lead to the elimination of male dominance, or merely to the additional burdening of women and, ultimately, to their atomized position within societies that remain—or are even becoming more—macho, as observed in the most economically developed countries?

These and other questions remain untouched. Courageously and lucidly opening them would further contribute to breaking stereotypes. Without addressing them, we remain trapped in a patronizing perception of "progressive" versus "unprogressive" societies, where the criterion is the degree of a society's subordination to profit interests—which itself remains unquestioned. The film interestingly presents the beginnings of the modern Kosovar school system, including through archival footage, which Slovenian participants perceive as less developed. The film's implicit explanation is war. Education in Kosovo is less developed due to a shorter tradition and much greater obstacles faced during its formation. But in the final instance, this again implies that the only sensible way to develop is to blindly follow the dogmas of modernity: that "they" are simply "behind us," even if it is not their fault. This is something that Kosovar officials and intellectuals themselves believe, let there be no mistake. But it is precisely this faith in modernity that is worth questioning from the perspective of human liberation.

The film is thus judged both by what is absent and by what we see. Based on the latter criterion, it is, as stated, a dynamic, multifaceted, and humanly sensitive portrayal of the chosen issue, which, from the perspective of a critique of capitalism and modernity, opens questions that it does not later answer.

Muanis Sinanović