The necessity of a radical reform in national education

2024-09-08 18:19:00, Opinione Ekrem Spahiu

The necessity of a radical reform in national education

Ekrem Spahiu

Education is the passport to the security and future of the state and the nation. The beginning of the school year is certainly a day marked in the education-loving spirit of the Albanian nation.

On this occasion, we remember with honor and humility the constellation of teachers, pedagogues and prominent Albanian citizens in the field of education. We especially remember an example that is unique for this sacred purpose: Mirash Ivanaj, Minister of Education during the years of the Albanian Kingdom, graduated with two excellent university degrees.

Mirash Ivanaj, although an opponent in political views and convictions, was asked by King Zog to accept the position of Minister of Education in order to make a radical reform in the field of education.

This reform devised by him required full and comprehensive support, including constitutional changes (the Basic Statute of the State), with the aim that education should be permeated only by the national spirit and a completely secular character, avoiding the dangerous pressures of foreigners, private organizations and religious institutions, which conveyed other interests.

By evoking these great names, we all feel responsible for the fact that currently education in Albania is in a state of national emergency, while a series of strategies for structural reforms and experiments announced over the years with grandiose terms have failed and while it still remains an instrument of political influence .

Years ago, the paradoxical experiment failed, when ghost universities flourished in Albania, reaching a university for 50-60,000 inhabitants, when most of them did not even meet the minimum standards to be such!

This is the reason that even our best university is the last in the region in terms of standards.

No one answers how well Albanian education diplomas are recognized in other countries, why they are not recognized, what is the reason why they are not recognized and when will they be recognized?

In the latest evaluations of the Venice Commission for the European ranking of pre-university education, Albania has dropped 15 places below in 2023. No one gives an answer as to why in 2017 we had 153 students per 1,000 inhabitants, while in 2022 we had 136 students for 1,000 inhabitants.

Frequent structuring and restructuring at all levels of administration have resulted in chaos in education administration as well.

Thus, the structure with four regional directorates of pre-university education is one of the already failed experiments. These directorates, as well as the local offices of pre-university education, have mostly been transformed into structures where political militants have been appointed to lead.

For national shame, the Assembly of Albania has neither a committee nor a parliamentary sub-committee on education.

There is only one Commission for Education and Public Information Means, are you saying that we are still a communist country that is concerned about the education of people, while the corresponding Ministry, normally and historically, is called "Ministry of Education" and not "Ministry of Education"!

This is the reason why the Assembly and its committees do not know and are not even asked about the reforms carried out in education.

Therefore, it is urgent to set up a national structure with prominent experts in the field of education, without political differences, which will identify the problems and determine the priorities and relevant reforms to get out of this emergency.

It is urgent that the directorates of education return to the district basis, as they were, while the education offices are returned to the municipality.

It is urgent that pre-school education and vocational education be restored under the Ministry of Education and Sports.

It is urgent to revise the curricula and the level of the teaching texts, to convey both the update with the new developments, as well as the national spirit, as well as the affirmed national history, not personal tastes or party policies.

This urgency is met by revising Law No. 69/2012 "On Pre-University Education in RSH", as well as Organic Law No. 80/2015 "On Higher Education in RSH".

Among purely national issues, national education should not be a matter of politics or party parades. Education is the passport to security and the future of the state and the nation./ CNA