Thirty of the country’s private higher education institutions are to be closed or suspended following a Ministry of Education investigation that found they did not meet basic legal and quality standards.
TIRANA, Aug 7 – A Ministry of Education investigation into the practices of private institutions of higher learning in Albania has led to a government decision to close 17 private universities ahead of the new academic year and to suspend enrollment in another 13.
In addition, the government has closed seven public university satellite campuses.
The move means about two thirds of the country’s private higher education institutions are to be closed or suspended following Ministry of Education investigation that found they did not meet legal and quality standards. Among the ones to be suspended is Albanian University, formerly known as UFO, one of the country’s largest.
Twelve private universities were allowed to continue operations, noting conditions for improvement, government officials said in a press conference. These include two English-language institutions, University of New York – Tirana and Epoka University.
The government decision comes after years of concern that many of the private universities in Albania failed to meet basic standards. Critics had pointed out some of the private universities were little more than diploma mills.
“The collapse of the pyramid schemes in education, [is] the end of a state of social shame,” Prime Minister Edi Rama said through his social media channel.
Rama added the government is determined to get to the bottom reform of higher education in the country.
The investigation found many private universities and private high schools and one public university did not meet the basic criteria to be accredited by the Ministry of Education, as specified under the country’s laws.
The Socialist-led government, in power since September last year, had made it clear that they would close all the universities that did not comply with the minimal legal requests and documentation.
The “pyramid scheme” term has a strong meaning for Albanians, referring to the failed financial pyramid schemes that swallowed Albanians’ life savings in 1997 and led to massive civil unrest in which thousands lost their lives.
Rama said that these private universities had served as money pits for common Albanians who were getting worthless diplomas in return.
He added the private universities scheduled to be closed had issued diplomas to 32,000 people, about half of which came from a single university.
The prime minister added that 900 foreign students had obtained diplomas from universities that only conducted teaching in Albanian – a clear indication of fraud.
Officials said criminal investigations would take place where it would be deemed necessary.
The government also said that a British private company would be brought in to perform an evaluation of the existing universities in order to acredit and rank them and publish the findings.
The ministry said that some 6,000 students affected by the closure of the universities in question would be offered spots in public universities so they would be able to finish the studies they had started. They can also transfer to other private universities.
The opposition Democrats condemned the government’s decision saying that it was aimed to profit the universities that were still left standing.
The opposition leader, Democratic Party Chairman Lulzim Basha, said the decision to close the universities had left students shocked and would place a financial burden on them.
“The closure of universities with a stroke of the pen, without any warning and without transparency [shows] the incompetence and irresponsibility of this government,” Basha said.
He added that the opposition is not against reform, but opposes what Basha said were moves to benefit the leaders of the ruling coalition.
The business of higher education had boomed in Albania for years, causing concern that many of these universities where diploma mills, and their operations little more than smoke and mirrors to gain profit while providing little quality education.
That image was reinforced internationally when the son of a famous Italian politician was found to have a diploma from Kristal University – a school that teaches only in Albanian. Kristal was the first of the private universities to be suspended by the previous government, but it was later allowed to resume operations. It is now on the list to be closed.
Albania had gone from having no private universities a decade ago to more than 40 private universities and professional colleges today. It had a mere 17 private universities in 2009. The rest had sprang out since then, according to data by Albania’s Public Agency for Accreditation of Private Higher Education. By comparison, there are only 10 public universities.
Now, government officials say, the government will push students away from “worthless diplomas” and into professional training to fill needs of the labor market, according the Welfare Minister Erion Veliaj.
Some schools will close, others suspended
The private universities that will close, according to the government decision, include, Vitrina, Kristal, Justiniani I, Elite, Illyria, Planetar, Geraldin묠Argent, Medicom, Gjon Buzuku, Medikadent and several others.
The private universities which received a partial or full suspension for new enrollments include, Albanian University (formerly known as UFO), Aldent, Bed철(Hena a Plote), Logos, Canadian Institute of Technology, Qiriazi, Justicia, Wisdom and several others.
Private universities that will resume operation include, European University of Tirana, New York University – Tirana, Polis, Zoja e K촨illit t롍ir묠Marubi, Epoka, Luarasi, Tirana Business, Metropolitan, Marin Barleti, Mediterranean, etc.
