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Rama "remembers" about higher education, not because the country demands it, but because "Europe demands it"
2025-07-21 13:34:53 / IDE
Prime Minister Rama stated today at the presentation of the report by the Accreditation Board of Higher Education Institutions that "the law on higher education must be reviewed," as "a competitive offer for the European Union is needed."
So, Rama did not remember the needs of universities or Albanian youth, but because – according to him – “this is what the EU demands”.
Unfortunately, this statement is not a political reflection, but the arrogance of a prime minister who, in his fourth term, proves once again that there is no reflection on the dire situation in higher education, there is no accountability and responsibility, the essence of this government's approach is that change does not come from a sense of responsibility towards citizens, but as a reaction to international pressure.
And the surprise was that the only model of success he presented in his extremely short speech was the model of the Agricultural University of Tirana as "an extraordinary experience on the connection of this university with the "Boku" University of Vienna", emphasized the Prime Minister.
Unfortunately, a few months ago, the public became aware of an investigation by the Special Prosecutor's Office into this university, where, according to SPAK's investigations, "it is suspected that officials of this university have manipulated nine tenders during 2022, with a total value of 90 million lek". As part of the investigation, 24 security measures were issued for officials of this institution, thus revealing a corrupt scheme.
Of course, the prime minister and his puppets in the government and the ministry do not have any successes to show us, as they are the number one responsible for the failure of the reform launched 10 years ago!
But, for the public and as a reminder to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Education, we are listing some facts that the Prime Minister himself should have brought to their attention today.
The Higher Education Law was approved by the Rama government itself in 2015, amid protests by professors and students. The student protest in 2018 demonstrated the dire situation in higher education.
The law that was supposed to reform Albanian universities not only failed to bring quality, but also left the system in chaos after it entered into force with 46 missing bylaws. As a result, universities were left in institutional chaos, with unclear rules, often implementing old practices in a system that claimed to be new. This has led not only to institutional chaos, but also to a loss of trust in public higher education.
The education budget is among the lowest in the region, at 2.29% of GDP (2024) – far from European standards and Rama's empty promises when he came to power in 2013 that he would bring it to 5% of GDP. While the education budget plans 500 euros per student, OECD countries plan 18-20 thousand euros per student. Meanwhile, scientific research is completely ignored, left with a ridiculous and uninteresting budget.
The academic offer is not connected to the reality of the labor market. The government itself, for populist reasons, has promoted new branches and programs without a long-term national strategy and forcing universities, which due to their low budget, to open new branches but without legal and functional support.
Meanwhile, the country is facing a shortage of teachers, engineers, technicians and young professionals, while universities are emptying of the best students who choose emigration as the only way out. But Rama and his government, apart from repressive measures, still do not have a development strategy to stop the massive departure of capacities abroad and open the way for development.
But not only do national indicators refute Rama's 10-year propaganda, but international indicators have also put a black mark on the failure of the Higher Education Reform.
The UNESCO 2025 and World Bank 2024 reports have proven the dire situation in which higher education is located: low funding for higher education, low quality, outdated curricula unrelated to the labor market.
Instead of reflection and responsibility, Rama arrogantly seeks to show us that there is a need for change today, returning to empty populist promises.
But the problem lies not only in the law he is using today. The problem lies in the lack of vision and political will of Rama and his government to develop higher education, in the misgovernance and the capture of educational institutions, violating academic freedom and the financial independence of universities.
Edi Rama and his government never made education a priority, but simply a sector used for the benefit of power clients, covered up with propaganda and to the detriment of Albanians.
As the country faces a massive exodus of young people, the government continues to talk about a "European perspective" without reflecting on the reality it has created itself.
The campaign continues, but Albania does not go to Europe with propaganda - it goes with responsibility, quality, and strong institutions.
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