By Valbona Sulce
Once again, Vlora University has managed to take center-stage in the media, and subsequently, in daily conversation too. No mean undertaking by the way, in tiny Albania with its multitude of universities. The regional universitieis have always been considered as ‘periphical’, ‘irrelevant, ‘the ones that make all the noise’, in comparison with the Tirana University. The first time Vlora University managed to hit the headlines, in print and electromic media for a time, (when a proposal was floated to change its name), it was not all that fortunate, and in my opinion, neither was its cause all that appropriate. However, irrespective of the angle from which you approach the issue, this time you have to admit that the Vlora University is right and that the stand of its counterparts all over Albania is outrageous. Despite the fact that not a day passes without personnel of these universities exchanging remarks of frustration about the poor quality of the students they are compelled to handle year in and year out, none of them have the courage to do this in public and so remain silent. It would be in their own honour as colleagues, academicians, as learned scholars to support this stand, because it is not an issue of fifty students being admitted or not to University. This is about the values we are building up as a society, the values we are educating our children with. To accept that a public institution be violated, just because you want to trample upon universal principles of merit and competition, actually indicates a lack of fundamental knowledge of the Rule of Law and encouragement of the culture of violence and force. Even if these students are right, they must learn to wait for the decision of the respective institution, calmly and without strife. In the final account, to admit that you are not cut out for university is not at all the biggest disaster that could befall a person. There have always been and will always be poor students. Not everyone has the inclination to be a scientist or scholar. We must teach our children to ask for what they are entitled to and to get down to the task of finding the best possible ways of making something of themselves as individuals. We are unconsciously nurturing a culture that scorns professional work, when we should be showing contempt for unmerited marks that bring unmerited work positions. Then we are the first to complain that we don’t have a functioning State! Where does the heresy lie in the claims of Vlora University? This University is asking for a threshold to be established for candidates for students. Let any teacher come forward and claim that he/she can work at university level with students whose average marks are below six (as far as I’m concerned even seven is debatable), because we are talking about a University and not a course for seamstress. We are talking about students here, in other words, individuals capable of researching and studying, who need to read 100-300 pages per day, three or four chapters to be able to participate in a class debate, students capable of drawing comparisons, of writing essays. Let anyone step forward and defend the thesis that these students could cope with such a flow. Not even the argument, “they will be weeded out along the way,” stands. Why do we have to admit them first and then tell them later on, “sorry, you haven’t got what it takes,” when we can save ourselves, their families and themselves all that time, energy and dissapointment, by saying ‘No’ at the outset? Would we be so lucky that our universities establish such criteria and have ambitions to offer the market quality products! This is how you increase competition, this is how you shape top quality product. We have been shouting “We want quality,” for the past eighteen years. Then why don’t we accept the initial steps to acquire this quality? Why? Because the proposal comes from a small university without the clout? Or is it because when there are so many universities there may not be a flow, but there would be a trickle? I do not know the Rector of that small University or any of its teaching staff, but I thank them for re-opening this debate and which may just be solved once and for all. If the Court decides that Vlora is right, then we may be able to say that the reform of higher education is on the right road. If not, then the agony will be dragged out. And just maybe, a future Minister of Education could be one of those students who are shouting today, “We want diplomas.”!
