Kosovo’s education sector faces major challenges. Nearly 30 percent of its citizens are 14 years old or younger. About 40 percent of work-age people are unemployed. Schools are overcrowded, and there is a shortage of learning materials and equipment.  The Kosovo Basic Education Program, managed by FHI 360, helps strengthen the Government of Kosovo's education reform efforts by targeting the critical elements the country needs to establish and sustain a modern education system. The program partners with Kosovo's Ministry of Education, Science and Technology to enhance school management capacity throughout the country’s decentralized education sector, strengthen student assessments and improve in-service teacher training. The program aligns its activities to educational reform priorities of the U.S. Agency for International Development and to European Union (EU) standards, supporting Kosovo’s effort to join the EU.