The year 2023 was another successful year for Digital School, marking numerous achievements, expansion into many new cities, as well as contributions to empowering new generations who create creative and functional applications from an early age.
Blog 03 Oct 2025
The year 2023 was another successful year for Digital School, marking numerous achievements, expansion into many new cities, as well as contributions to empowering new generations who create creative and functional applications from an early age.
After numerous requests and successes through Digital School franchises around the world, this year we expanded the network into the Asian market with a location in the Philippines, in Albania with new branches in Tirana and Durrës, as well as in the local market with new branches in Deçan, Gjilan, and Lipjan. This expansion has brought an increase in the number of students, particularly in Kosovo with over 2,800 active students, marking a 30% growth compared to 2022, demonstrating the growing interest of children and youth in developing skills in information technology and programming. Digital School continues to remain the programming school with the widest reach in Kosovo, both in terms of locations and number of students.
Furthermore, it has secured re-accreditation and has been re-validated by the National Qualifications Authority for the level of ‘Junior Programmer’ for a period of five years.
In the effort to promote gender equality, Digital School has managed to increase female participation both in staff and among students. While female representation in staff is over 56%, their share among students is around 30%, showing a continuous commitment to encourage and include more girls in the field of technology.
On the occasion of Girls in ICT Day, under the motto "Girls who code change the world", we welcomed over 150 participants at Digital School in Prishtina to join the discussion panel about the journey of future programmers and the opportunities for girls in the ICT industry. Likewise, during this event, we informed our students about the opportunities available for girls in ICT, as well as inspiring success stories in the field.
At the major competition 'ICT Awards', the student of Digital School in Ferizaj, Lirik Rexhepi, won the award in the category 'Best Education Technology Project', and the student of Digital School in Dibër, Orhidea Ollogu, was recognized in the category 'Rising Stars'. Students of Digital School in Prizren, Tarik Ajvazi, Enes Ramani, and Ejmen Ajvazi took first places at the 'Albania Science & Engineering Fair'.
Melos Shabani is another student who, thanks to the skills demonstrated since joining our program at the age of 14, has managed to become a member of the school staff, being employed as an instructor at Digital School in Ferizaj. It is also worth highlighting another success of a former student from Digital School Prizren, Denis Hoti, who will begin his studies in 'Data Science' at the University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt in Germany.
Projects developed by students:
Masar Hakiqi, with the project ‘Digital Library’
Lart Sejdiu, with the project ‘Firefly’
Tarik Ajvazi, with the project ‘Green Planet’
Former student of Digital School, Dielli Jashari, who began his programming journey at Digital School in Prishtina when he was only 6 years old, was announced as a finalist in the International Olympiad for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, which brings together students from grades 1–12 to tackle challenges in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Among over 9,000 participating students from 98 countries worldwide, Dielli successfully passed the coding challenges, reaching the finals of this competition.
Also, Digital School student in Prishtina, Nart Hoti, 9 years old, represented our school in the ‘Bebras Computing Challenge’ or ‘Castor Informatics,’ an international initiative that aims to promote computer science and computational thinking for age groups 8–18. Among over 2,000 participating students from all municipalities of Kosovo, Narti reached the finals of this challenge, fostering critical, algorithmic, and problem-solving thinking, to whom we wish great success in the finals.
With the aim of encouraging young people, Digital School offered a one-year full scholarship in the regular program, at the event ‘DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality’. This scholarship was also awarded to three students participating in the Summer School, as a reward for their engagement during the special summer program.
At the Digital School locations in Prishtina, Ferizaj, Gjilan, Gjakova, Mitrovica, Peja, Prizren, Lipjan, and Deçan, we had the pleasure of assisting around 6,000 public school students, who came to learn and test their coding skills during a one-hour lesson. We are happy that this year greater importance was given to the Hour of Code through the partnership with SHPIK and the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology.
We organized a special celebration with students who completed their course at Digital School (Alumni), to celebrate an unforgettable journey, the achievements of the graduate community, and the close connections we have built together. This event was a great opportunity to reunite and share new plans and projects together, as the beginning of our shared adventure, and we hope to have many more such events in the future.
Through the staff and students of Digital School, this year as well we were actively involved in important local and international competitions, events, and conferences, including Game Jam, Junction X Tirana, International B2B Software Days, DOKUTECH, Albania Science and Engineering Fair, and others, where participation in such events once again demonstrated the level of skills and talent of our students.
The President of the Republic of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, during her address at the plenary session of the European Parliament, echoed the successful journey of the co-founder of Digital School, Hana Qerimi. She was part of the delegation that best represented our country with their story and international success, turning a startup into global brands with over 500 locations worldwide, and making Kosovo a regional leader as a technology hub. In addition, Hana was part of the delegation of the President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, at the world’s largest technology conference, ‘Web Summit’, held in Lisbon, Portugal.
Digital School concluded the year 2023 with a decoration and recognition received from the President of the Republic of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, for its contribution to Information Technology and the development of skills among youth.
During the months of July and August, Digital School organized the most unique 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, Cyber Security, Entrepreneurship, 3D Game Development, Online Streaming, and E-Sports. The program also included: full-day stay with food and drinks, two instructors per class, various tournaments, company visits, and guest speakers.
Over 150 students participated in the Summer School in Prishtina, where they followed intensive lessons in technology, visited successful tech companies, enjoyed different games, and engaged in many other activities.
This year as well, the largest coding competition for children aged 8–18, November Code Fest – sixth edition, was organized as a 48-hour challenge. The students of Digital School once again made us proud with their successful projects, among which the winners of the competition were:
Uvejs Borovci: Best Code Game
Orges Hajzeraj, Sali Axhija & Andi Neziraj: Best Scratch Game
Lora Vega: Best WordPress App
Riga Hyseni: Best Mobile App
Blin Halimi, Jon Mehmeti & Nil Bakija: Best Game App
Amar Alija, Agon Kamberi & Dijedon Tairi: Best Web Development
Leart Ramadani: Best React Native App
The conclusion of this competition at Digital School in Prishtina was an inspiring moment for all participants, marking yet another great success with the development of around 60 projects in different categories. The participation of a large number of students from Kosovo and Macedonia, especially girls, as well as their success in this competition, proves the growth and advancement of the younger generation’s interest in the field of information technology.
This successful moment also reflects the dedication of the staff and volunteers of Digital School in Prishtina and its franchises, to provide an environment for nurturing new talents in programming.
The successes of Digital School and StarLabs were presented in an article about building the digital economy, in one of the most important and globally renowned magazines, ‘The Economist’, which on a weekly basis can reach millions of readers. Journalists from 'The Economist' visited our offices in Prishtina, during which they conducted an interview with Hana.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) published an article about the successes of Digital School and Hana Qerimi in leading the company, highlighting the benefits from the EBRD’s “Youth in Business” program, as well as Hana’s recognition as one of the young entrepreneurs shaping the future of the Information Technology industry, more specifically in application development by providing outsourcing services for the international market.
Hana also took part in an interview on Poland’s international television, where she supported the work of entrepreneurs while emphasizing the great potential of the youth in our country.
Follow our interviews throughout 2023:
This year, we had the pleasure of welcoming, among many official visits to our company: the Deputy Mayor of Prishtina, Alban Zogaj; the Chairman of the Democratic League of Kosovo, Lumir Abdixhiku; the Senior Marketing Manager at the renowned company LinkedIn, Hava Maloku; and the delegation of leaders from major Swiss businesses Groupe Orllati, Edipresse Groupe SA, Lamuniere Holding SA, Probst Group Holding SA, and Editions Favre.
During these visits, the co-founders and leaders of Digital School, Hana Qerimi and Darsej Rizaj, informed the guests about the work and achievements of our company, as well as discussed opportunities for collaboration in the field of technology and innovation.
Many students from Kosovo, Albania, Macedonia, the United States, and beyond have joined the programming course thanks to online learning. Part of this large online community are also students who live in rural areas and towns surrounding major cities, having the opportunity to connect online from wherever they are.
One of the most important pillars behind our outstanding success is the teamwork and professionalism of our staff. We thank all of you for your partnership and continuous support this year as well, for being such an important part of us—especially the staff of Digital School, all our partners, students, and parents for their trust.
As a token of appreciation for their work, all employees of Digital School with more than three years in the company enjoyed an unforgettable free trip to Milan. In addition, the entire staff of Digital School experienced an unforgettable retreat in Albania, where we exchanged gifts with each other, created fun moments, and celebrated our shared successes at the Digital School’s end-of-year party.
We thank everyone for their partnership and continuous support throughout 2023, for being such an important part of us—especially the staff of Digital School, all our partners, students, and parents for their trust.
