TIRANA, Sept. 12, 2022 – Albania’s pre-university school system marked the start of the first school year without any pandemic restrictions on Monday with worries of a shrinking student base and demands for more investments in the education sector.
Official data show less than half the number of pupils started first grade this year compared to the mid 1990s, a confirmation of Albania’s massive emigration and shrinking population, which experts say has picked up new steam in recent years. Many mostly rural and small city schools have closed as a result.
Expressing deep concern over the shrinking population, opposition MPs like Flutura Açka, chairwoman of the parliamentary committee on education, said also more needs to be done to improve education in the country
“The budget for education is at a minimum, teachers’ salaries are insufficient, emigration is leaving thousands of children in the middle of the school year and closing schools, while the number of students is falling from year to year, and today they registered 33 classes less, equal to two schools less,” she said.
The phenomenon of the decrease in the number of students in the pre-university system seems to have affected the universities as well.
University system also suffering
Education Minister Evis Kushi says that the challenge remains in the departure of young people from Albania, a phenomenon that the education system is facing with the internationalization of universities, additional funding and double-degree programs with well-known European universities are needed to increase the value of local diplomas.
Official statistics are still incomplete due to a new registration method, but unofficially it is estimated that nearly 29,000 children started school in the first grades and 28,000 in the tenth grades, along with several hundred thousand others at other grades.
Comparisons with previous years speak of another decrease in the number of students in the pre-university system, with 4 percent fewer students starting first grade this year compared to last year.
Regional issue, says education minister
Kushi admits there are no easy solutions to what is a regional problem.
“Albania is currently dealing with a problem that the entire Balkan area is truly dealing with — a portion of young people are leaving the region for studies or work in western countries like Germany, but also in other nations where the aging of the population and expanding labor market demands have opened opportunities for our young people,” Kushi told a conference on Monday.
But she added the government had developed a number of new policies, including the internationalization of universities and increased support for double degree programs with EU universities and promoting studies in areas where there is national economic growth through scholarships for studying in areas related to agriculture, education, services and tourism with the requirement that graduates remain in Albania to contribute following their graduation.
More education funding seen as vital to halting migration
In a January 2022 report, UNICEF said Albania should increase funding and set the right policies in place to address its rapid depopulation. The UN body that deals with children and teenagers says lack of investment leading to low quality education and healthcare are major factors in driving the desire to emigrate.
“The emigration of young people not only inevitably and exponentially reduces the national birth rate, but also has a negative impact on the economy, social care mechanisms and family models, and has hindered economic growth and development by eroding the country’s social capital,” the report notes as it analyses current trends in Albania’s children and teenagers.
The report cites several studies that indicate families see the emigration of their children as the best choice for a better life. Moreover, polls show 60 percent of university students want to study abroad, and 90 percent of those who do, have a desire to return to Albania.
The UNICEF analysis notes these indicators show problems not only in economic prospects, but also the quality of a national education system.
Government points out to achievements
The government is trying to put a positive face on the issue, pointing to investments in new and upgraded schools in areas that need them, like Tirana, the capital, where much of the internal migration has been focused.
Officials also listed Monday numerous investments in the construction of new schools due to earthquake damage or internal movement of residents. They also pointed to new curricula, free books and increased digitization of the teaching process.
Moreover, Albania and Kosovo have for the first time unified and jointly distributed, Abetare, the primer book historically used to teach writing and reading in Albanian in first grade.
Prime Minister Edi Rama said there would be a new effort to properly teach Albanian to older pupils.
“The Albanian language can be introduced at all levels of the education system, because it is endangered by misuse,” Rama said.
