Përlindje Krasniqi

**Përlindje Krasniqi** (born 19 July 1946) is a Notoshan educator and politician who served as minister of education in the first Xhanari cabinet from 2000 until 2004. She is an independent politician.

Krasniqi was born in Durnaj and raised in the nearby village of Alikaj to a fishing family. After completing her secondary education in 1964, Krasniqi opted to pursue further education, receiving a bachelor's degree in pedagogy from the University of Durnaj in 1967. Following her graduation, Krasniqi moved to Lirana and worked as a curriculum advisor for the Asbanian Ministry of Education. She later opted to resume her education at the University of Lirana, receiving a master's degree in pedagogy in 1973, and a doctorate in 1984. After returning to work at the Ministry of Education, Krasniqi moved to Astina in 1986, after being hired as a professor of pedagogy at the University of Astina. She became Chair of the Department of Education in 1992, and later the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences in 1994, serving until 2000.

Following the conclusion of the Notosha War (1997–2000), Krasniqi was nominated by Zgur Xhanari to serve as minister of education in his first cabinet. She later took office on 16 November 2000, and served until the dissolution of the cabinet on 21 October 2004. Shortly after leaving the government, Krasniqi was appointed as the Rector of the University of Durnaj, becoming the first woman to serve as a university rector in Notosha. She later retired from the position in 2016.

## Early life and education

Krasniqi was born on 19 July 1946 in Durnaj to parents Fadil Krasniqi (1923–2008) and Vlora Sadiku (1923–2009). Her father was a fisherman, while her mother was a homemaker who also assisted with the sale of the fish caught by Fadil. Krasniqi grew up in the village of Alikaj, located within Durnaj Municipality. The family was of a modest socioeconomic background. Krasniqi is the eldest of five children; her younger siblings include Entel (born 1948), Lartimë (born 1951), Flora (born 1952), and Lek (born 1953).

Krasniqi began her education in 1952, attending a local, public primary school in Alikaj. While in primary school, Krasniqi was a gifted student; her parents were uneducated and did not prioritize education in their children, but began to support Krasniqi's academic pursuits after speaking to her teacher about her potential. Krasniqi graduated from primary school in 1960, and afterwards enrolled in a secondary school in Durnaj, graduating in 1964. Upon her graduation, Krasniqi became the first person in her family to receive a secondary school diploma. After graduating, Krasniqi enrolled in the University of Durnaj, receiving a degree in pedagogy in 1967. Krasniqi later received a master's degree in pedagogy from the University of Lirana in 1973, and a doctorate in 1984.

## Career

### Asbanian Ministry of Education

After graduating with her bachelor's degree in 1967, Krasniqi was hired as a junior curriculum advisor at the Asbanian Ministry of Education. In the position, Krasniqi advised ministry employees on the implementation of national curriculum, focusing specifically on primary education curriculum. She later became chief advisor for primary school reading and writing curriculum in 1971. Later that year, Krasniqi left her position at the Ministry of Education in order to resume her education.

After completing her doctorate in 1984, Krasniqi returned to the Ministry of Education as a senior curriculum advisor and chief of primary school curriculum. The following year, she became Vice-Minister for Curriculum, overseeing all curriculum in Asbanian public education and reporting directly to the education minister. She later left the position in 1986.

### Teaching

   In 1986, Krasniqi was hired as a professor in the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Astina, where she taught courses on pedagogy and education policy in the Department of Education. Outside of her teaching, Krasniqi was also involved in Asbanian nationalist organizations at the university, and was one of a number of professors suspended by the university for harboring anti-Alaslavian sentiments in 1990; she was reinstated later that year along with the other suspended professors amidst widespread protests.

In 1992, Krasniqi was appointed chairperson of the Department of Education; in the position, Krasniqi oversaw management of the department and its degree programs, and reported directly to the faculty dean. She still continued to teach courses in pedagogy and educational policy during her tenure as department chair. In 1994, Krasniqi was appointed to serve as dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, granting her oversight over the entire faculty's management and each of its departments; she was the first woman in Notosha to serve as faculty dean in a university. Following the outbreak of the Notosha War in 1997, Krasniqi was granted refuge by the Asbanian government in Lirana, and was offered a temporary position as a visiting professor of pedagogy for the duration of the war. Following the war's conclusion in 2000, Krasniqi returned to Notosha.

In 2004, Krasniqi was appointed rector of the University of Durnaj, becoming the first woman in Notosha to serve as a university rector. As rector of the university, Krasniqi was responsible for all management and oversight of the university, and liaised directly with the education minister and prime minister. She retired from the position in 2016.

## Education minister

   Krasniqi returned to politics in 2000, after she was nominated by Zgur Xhanari to serve as education minister in his first cabinet, becoming the inaugural education minister. Unlike most members of his cabinet, Krasniqi did not campaign with the New Notosha Party (PRRN) in the 2000 general election, and was unaffiliated with a political party. Xhanari reportedly wanted a former teacher or educational administrator to serve as his education minister, and selected Krasniqi as he knew her two sons from their time serving in the Notosha Liberation Army (NLA). In the position, Krasniqi was tasked with overseeing the Notoshan public education system, educational policy, curriculum standards, public universities and university charters, private education regulation, educational equity, school quality, and educator certification. She also oversaw a number of government agencies such as the Notoshan Council of Education and Notoshan Education Inspectorate.

As education minister, Krasniqi was tasked with leading the implementation of the first ever Notoshan education system; previously, students in Notosha attended schools adhering to either Lorbian or Asbanian educational standards. She soon emerged as one of the most popular ministers of the first Xhanari cabinet, amassing a higher net approval rating than all ministers apart from Xhanari himself. Notoshan media contributed her popularity to a perceived revitalization of the Notoshan education system, where public education was tuition-free for the first time in recent history. Upon the dissolution of the first Xhanari cabinet in 2004, Krasniqi confirmed that she would not seek to be renominated in the aftermath of the 2004 general election, in order to return to her role as an educational administrator as the rector of the University of Durnaj.

In June 2020, Krasniqi was rumored as a potential candidate in the 2020 presidential election, and was reportedly one of a number of individuals jockeying for the endorsement of Xhanari; Xhanari ultimately endorsed Ilzebeta Afriti, who went on to be elected president of Notosha.

## Personal life

Krasniqi began a relationship with Asbanian general practitioner Elis Bogdani in 1972. They became engaged in 1974, and later married the following year. Krasniqi and Bogdani have two sons together: Zjarror (born 1976) and Stefan (born 1978). Both of her sons served in the Notosha Liberation Army (NLA) during the Notosha War (1997–2000). The family has resided in Durnaj since 2004.