Growth, successes and lots of emotions - this was 2024 for Shkolla Digjitale!

2024 was another successful year for Shkolla Digjitale and its franchises around the world, with many achievements and expansion into new countries, proving the success of our staff, students and partners in many events during this year. Expansion into new locations After many requests and successes through Shkolla Digjitale's franchises around the world, this year we expanded our network into the Middle East and Africa market, with 4 locations in Saudi Arabia, in Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Hasa and Taif, in Egypt with the location in Cairo, as well as the new location in Kosovo, in Suharekë. With over 2000 active students just this year in Kosovo, we are proving the growth of quality and engagement of our students, and we are continuously accepting students passionate about technology and programming, offering better opportunities and more personalized learning for each one. Shkolla Digjitale continues to remain the programming school with the largest reach in Kosovo, in terms of locations and number of students. We have secured re-accreditation and have been re-validated by the National Qualifications Authority for the 'Junior Programmer' level for the next five years, confirming our commitment to providing training of the highest standards.

Launch of the most innovative platform that combines game and learning For the first time, we have launched a completely innovative platform that combines game and learning in one adventure for children and young people, based on Artificial Intelligence, which will help students develop the necessary skills. This fantastic platform is designed to be very flexible and can easily adapt to any subject! Whether for math, science, literature or history, the games and missions are designed to reflect the content of different curricula. Read more here

Increasing female participation In an effort to promote gender equality, Shkolla Digjitale has managed to increase female participation in staff and in the number of students. While female staff participation is over 67%, their percentage in the number of students is around 30%, showing our commitment to creating an equal and supportive environment for all, as well as reflecting the diversity of our team. On the occasion of Girls in ICT Day, under the motto "LEADERSHIP", we welcomed over 100 participants to Shkolla Digjitale in Prishtina to appreciate and motivate all girls in their orientation towards the field of technology. The director of Shkolla Digjitale, Hana Qerimi, held an interactive Q&A conversation with our students, who were informed about their future opportunities in this profession.

Student successes - Denis Hoti, a former student of Shkolla Digjitale in Prizren, was declared a winner in international challenges in Austria and Germany with the "Best Open Source" award at one of the largest hackathons in Austria, "Tourism Technology Festival". He also won second prize at the 7-day hackathon "VGI Challenge" in Germany. - Erdajt Sopjani, one of the first students of Shkolla Digjitale, won first prize for creating a device that reads electromagnetic signals in the brain! - Students of Shkolla Digjitale in Ferizaj and Tetova won first places at the Junction X Tirana hackathon and first prize in the ProCredit Bank challenge, with their innovative project for managing personal income. - The girls' team from Shkolla Digjitale in Prishtina won first place at the MiketxWiSTEM hackathon with the project "Empower Her", which aims to empower girls for personal and professional development. - Yll Berisha, a former student of Shkolla Digjitale in Prishtina, represented Kosovo at the European Cybersecurity Challenge 2024 in Turin. - Jona Kuka, a student of Shkolla Digjitale in Prishtina, ranked in the Top 20 in the final of the International STEM Olympiad. These are just some of the main successes of our students and former students, who make us proud every day.

Social and Educational Initiative We organized for the first time together with the staff of Shkolla Digjitale in Prishtina, the conference for parents "DIGITAL PARENTHOOD", which brought together parents, educators, psychologists and experts to discuss various topics from the field of cyber security, social media, games and cyber bullying, very necessary for parenting in the digital age. With the aim of supporting children who have fought and survived cancer, Shkolla Digjitale in Prishtina has offered 3 free scholarships for the programming course for children who are part of the 'Action for Health' organization, to prepare them for the job market and their bright future. We are very happy about this initiative and we can't wait to learn and develop innovative applications together with the children. We had the pleasure of assisting about 1200 students from public schools, who came to learn and test their coding skills during a lesson hour. We are glad that this year great importance has been given to the coding hour through the partnership with SHPIK and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. We organized a special party with the students who have completed the course at Shkolla Digjitale (Alumni), to celebrate the achievements and the close ties we have built together over the years.

Training of many young people in cooperation with IREX Shkolla Digjitale, as a beneficiary of the grant awarded by the USAID Activity for the development of the workforce led by the private sector, funded by USAID and implemented by IREX, has organized free trainings for learning the most demanded technologies: Python, DevOps and Full Stack, where after the training the students will continue with 3 months of practice to develop their professional skills. Also, we have received 40 new computers, funded by this Activity, in order to provide the best possible conditions for the trainings. This support has enabled us to strengthen and expand our mission to equip the new generations with programming and skills needed to succeed in today's world, where every profession is interconnected with digital skills.

Spring Code Fest Competition Shkolla Digjitale in Prishtina organized the coding competition Spring Code Fest, where over 300 students from Shkolla Digjitale franchises in Kosovo and Macedonia applied, making us very happy and proud of their successful projects, which they presented. With the evaluation of the jury composed of Sentry Cybersecurity, Trampolinë and Shkolla Digjitale companies, in an award ceremony, we announced the winners of this competition: - Arba Hamiti, in the CODE category - Avdyl Zeqiri, in the Scratch category - Kaon Krasniqi, in the WordPress Basic category - Jon Mehmeti, in the JavaScript category - Fion Mustafa, in the Python category - Elsa Halili, in the Front End category - Tarik Ajvazi, in the Web Development category - Donjeta Ramadani, in the React Native category

Summer School During the months of July and August, Shkolla Digjitale organized the most special two-week summer program for age groups 8-18 with a curriculum covering the most attractive fields of technology, all in one package: artificial intelligence, computer and software architecture, cybersecurity, entrepreneurship, 3D game development, e-sports and online streaming, programming for smart houses, 3D design. The program also included: full-day stay with food and drinks, lessons with qualified instructors, outdoor activities, various tournaments, company visits as well as guest speakers. The summer program this year was also very fun for many students who were part of the Summer School, creating unforgettable moments together.

Champion Trials Hackathon: 48-hour challenge During the month of November, the coding competition "Champion Trials Hackathon" was held, which concluded successfully after two intensive days full of creativity and impressive ideas from our students. More than 500 finalists from all Shkolla Digjitale franchises in Kosovo, Albania, and North Macedonia took part in this major event, competing in various categories. In the final of "Champion Trials Hackathon", 37 finalists presented, whose projects were evaluated by the Shkolla Digjitale jury in Slovenia, which announced the winners: - Shpat Kryeziu - Speedsters, Shkolla Digjitale Prishtinë - Leart Obertinca - Shadows, Shkolla Digjitale Prishtinë - Rrita Canolli - Hipsters, Shkolla Digjitale Prishtinë - Flori Ollogu - Engineers, Shkolla Digjitale Dibër

Recognition of success through visits, awards, media, and prestigious magazines - The successes of Shkolla Digjitale and StarLabs have been featured in an article in one of Norway's most popular magazines, Aftenposten Innsikt: "Kosovo has become a powerful example of innovation and development in the Balkans, through initiatives like Shkolla Digjitale and StarLabs, contributing to the formation of new generations of technology professionals as well as bringing innovation and employment opportunities for many talents." - The leaders of Shkolla Digjitale and StarLabs had the pleasure of meeting at a working lunch with entrepreneur and technology leader, Eyal Waldman from Israel, at the invitation of the Minister of Economy, Artane Rizvanolli. - Hana Qerimi won the 'Young Woman Entrepreneur' award for the Western Balkans. - The Mayor of Tirana welcomed and expressed his support for the activities of Shkolla Digjitale. - Hana Qerimi was part of the panel at Startup Ecosystem Experts Insights this year in Tirana, where the importance of investment funds for startups and their impact on advancing the startup ecosystem in Southeastern Europe was discussed. - Darsej Rizaj represented Shkolla Digjitale at the Berlitz Franchising Corporation Convention 2024 in Cartagena, Colombia, which was an excellent opportunity to network and join inspiring leaders from around the world, helping to shape the future of education. - Hana Qerimi was also part of the meeting organized by USAID and the Kosovo Mission in Poland, where 14 dynamic Kosovar businesses participated and had the opportunity to discuss cooperation with Polish entrepreneurs to explore new market and investment opportunities. Through our staff and students, we have been actively involved in important local and international competitions, organizations, and conferences.

Teamwork and professionalism of the staff One of the most important points behind the extraordinary success is the teamwork and professionalism of our staff. We thank all of you for your continued partnership and support this year, being an important part of us, especially the staff of Shkolla Digjitale, all partners, students and parents for their trust. As a token of gratitude for their work, all workers of Shkolla Digjitale with over three years as part of the company have enjoyed an unforgettable free trip to Vienna. We thank everyone for the partnership and continued support during 2024, being an important part of us, especially the staff of Shkolla Digjitale, all partners, students and parents for their trust.

The opportunity to attend the online course Many students from Kosovo, Albania, Macedonia, America and beyond have become part of the programming course thanks to online learning. Part of this large online community are also students who live in rural areas and places around big cities, having the opportunity to connect online wherever they are.