Good afternoon everyone!

We are here today at a crucial moment, I believe, as students have staged a protest over the past three or four days and for three days now I have called upon them to sit together and discuss. This has not been possible to date. It is the very first time in the history of protests when, not the government, but the protesters say: “We don’t want to talk.” However, I am here. I strongly believe that dialogue is indispensable and I will keep on communicating and try to explain why dialogue is the only way.

First, I want to clearly state: I have not called for and the government doesn’t demand negotiations. The government calls for dialogue. I would tell students that there is a simple difference. Negotiations are held between parties involved in a conflict, whereas there is no conflict between us, because we fully agree on what the students are asking for in terms of needs, concerns and in terms of the imperativeness to address a rather complex problem. So there is nothing we can negotiate on, but of course there is an indispensability to talk, because it is quite easy to simply state: “Meet our demands!” Which demands? I have here seven or eight lists of demands forwarded in various was from the students’ protest and that have been published via the social platforms. We have committed people to collect such demands wherever they show up and the number of demands is higher, but we have counted, with a kind of support, seven or eight of them.

Second, protests are staged by people to have their voice heard and the governments either listen or doesn’t listen to them. But when the government invites them to talk, I have personally never come across another example in the history with the protestors saying “No! We don’t want to talk.” Morever, I have even heard appeals with students being told they have no right to make question in this virtual space, in this context of virtual social dialogue. Where are we going?! Where do we live? In which country? What Albania we want to build and what Albania we want?! An Albania where we communicate by yelling and screaming, just like the politicians do?! An Albania where communication takes place through ultimatums and threats, just like the politicians do?! An Albania where everyone yells out and demands something saying: “You either do this, or we will wreak havoc!” No. This is not the Albania where we live in and this is not the family where the students live in.

Who of the students participating in this protest as a student and not as an envoy remotely controlled by the political parties would tell their parents “I want you to meet this and that demand and I don’t intend to listen what you say. You either meet these demands or I will set house in fire.” Where does this take place? On the other hand, I regret to recall that the only case when I have encountered such kind of refusal of dialogue was that with the today’s opposition, namely with Lulzim Basha, who erected a tent and made a list of demands, saying “meet my demands, otherwise we will oust you and your government.” I repeatedly invited him to sit and talk, but he always replied: “No! Meet our demands!” There is no need to comment on how things proceeded. Again, they said: Here it is the vetting of the politicians. There is nothing we can discuss on, just implement the politicians’ vetting!” What is this? An order? Ultimatum? How it can be settled? “By sitting together to talk and discuss!” Our problem in Albania has been that no one listened us. People have been killed in protests because the government, the Prime Minister were never ready to listen to them.

Where does the problem lie?

The problem is that this government and I personally are ready to listen to anyone who wishes to be heard. The problem is that this government and I personally are ready and totally committed to listen to the citizens’ voice via the co-governance platform that is derided by many of those who brush hair in front of mirror in the evening and wishing every morning for the village to be burned down. Why? We are ready to listen to everyone. Ready to listen even a retiree from the most remote area about who no one ever cares to recalculate the pension payment and the Platform corrects the state pension, chasing hard at the same time on the heels of every corrupt bureaucrat, who seeks to hinder the pension correction. We are ready to listen even the teacher from the remotest province who is denied her right she has won via the portal “Teachers for Albania”, just because someone in the regional education directorate is corrupt and this someone is then sent to the Prosecutor’s Office. We are talking about this level. Meanwhile, as for the protesters, each and every one of them has been always granted access, let alone the students.

After all, I want to make a question!

Is this protest a political or a non-political one? Or is it orchestrated in a way, where, as a most recently saw, some of them have put on masks – and I don’t know what masks are needed for –  and keep saying: “Stay away from politics!”, “Stay away from politics”, while playing the politics’ broken telephone game? Because, should the protest is not a political one, so if the protest is staged by those who spontaneously came out on the spur of the moment to protest for a rightful cause, because an irresponsible dean, who either intentionally or unintentionally, issued a notice ordering all students to pay the tuition fee in full immediately and not in tranches, if this is their protest then why not to discuss? Where does the problem lie? Dialogue is not a forced marriage. Dialogue is a moment of communication with parties talk, listen to each other and everyone goes on his own way. I am not inviting you to dialogue after you stop protesting. Don’t stop protesting! It is very good that you protest. I am talking here about those protesting believing that someone in Albania has ears to hear, believing that their demands will be met. I am addressing them. I am not addressing the others who are best known who they are and are gradually showing who they are.

Where does the problem lie?

How come at 2018 year-end, in 21-st century, after going a long way towards arriving here, to reject dialogue between a party, a very special interest group like the students are, and the government and the Prime Minister? What is this? Where this might take place? What the government is? What the Prime Minister is? A shop? A storehouse where you can right down demands for every item and you then receive a reply?! How?! On TV?! I don’t think so! However, I believe that parents at home understand quite well that this is an inappropriate show incompatible with a country’s democratic culture. It would have been a problem should it was me saying: “No. I don’t want to dialogue, so go back to your university!”

It would have been a problem should it was me saying: “You know what? It seems to me you haven’t yet figured out that back in 2013, when I took over as the government head, the most pressing demand from the university was its autonomy and not the tuition fees that rose in the period between 2014 and 2015 and are product of the university’s autonomy. It was not the government that increased the tuition fees. The fees rose because of the autonomy based on the calculations made by rectors and deans.

Which tariffs are you asking from the government by issuing ultimatums?

Yes, there is a problem with the tariffs. There is certainly a problem. I fully agree with you. I fully agree that there is a problem with the tariffs, but yet we have to sit and talk, because we won’t be able to fully address the matter, we won’t heal the disease and instead we will deal with the symptoms, moreover that whoever thinks that by trying to turn this protest, or if someone has incited others to turn the turn the protest into the revolution of those who do not enjoy the people’s support, is free to try and do so, but no one should think that common goals, especially this common goal, are achieved through ultimatums and unfamiliar ways to the democratic experience.

Yes, the democratic experience recognizes the form of kidnapping by terrorist groups and when the government state: “We don’t dialogue with terrorists.” Yes, the democratic experience also has recorded many cases when a protest has fallen on the authorities’ deaf ears. This was most recently the case in Frances since there are people who pray every morning “for our village to be burned today so that we can appear and brush hair at the media mirrors” and tell students “look at France”, the belated reaction and unwillingness to dialogue immediately with those taking the streets leads then to undesired escalations.

While the democratic experience has it that the goal of democratic protests is to raise a problem and present it at the table of talks with the democratically elected government. This is the experience. What does this mean? It is your right if you don’t want to dialogue. Then you can keep staying there. Stay there and don’t stop protesting, but don’t expect us to figure out and process the demands that everyone has in mind.

On the other hand, it is clear and everyone should listen this. I support every student and I would also have been there like a student, who is protesting there for his own self, and not for Luli, neither for for Mona, nor for neighbours, but for his own home, his future, his parents and I support every parent who support every student protesting there.

Whoever is protesting there for their own rights have no need to elect forums, or representatives, neither to assume responsibility to negotiate with me or the government on others’ behalf, but they can come and sit with us to talk. I would welcome and talk with 10 people, 100, 200 people.

Why? – one may ask? Because I have also listened certain university professors, who sadly are part of the problem and appear at TV screens thinking that it is time for them to stage a second December and say: “The Prime Minister has been elected to govern and fulfil his duties by meeting our demands.” Yes, it is like that. First of all, I am not the kind of the Prime Ministers who pretend to know everything regardless of what is said, regardless of what comments are made. I don’t think I am the smartest of all.

I strongly believe that I can do this job by opening ears and listen everyone expressing their pain. If I have travelled to every corner of Albania and no one can lecture me via “Facebook” or TV shows, this is because of the need to feel the people’s pain right where they are, to understand a mother’s pain after losing her husband two years ago and lives in extreme poverty along with her three daughters who excel at school. And much surprisingly, not at all surprisingly to me indeed, the children from these families who live in ruined houses excel at school, although they have 1000 of reasons more than every student to say: “No, we won’t go to school,” which means that I am much more aware than everyone else who are trying to take advantage of the students, to takes advantage of any situation and seeking the citizens’ support to add fuel to the fire they are trying to kindle.

Having said all these, I would like to ask again: “Which are your requests”?

We will certainly discuss the tuition fees and I fully support the rational reasoning and, above all, I feel the pain of those parents and students, who are true students, who need more support, although one should clearly know that tuition fees are not imposed by the government. It is called the university autonomy.

The government sets a ceiling so that tuition fees on how high a fee can be. The tuition fees rose in 2014-2015 and they stopped growing. No fees have increased above the ceiling imposed by the government.

However, of course we are ready to invest more from the taxpayers’ money to support students in settling the tuition fees.

Yet, we should discuss and it should be written so that they do not start over the game “what did he say? How it was written? Tell us about it again?” How to tell it? Via correspondence? With whom? Where are we? What we are? Hostile states that cannot communicate with each other but just telegraphically?!

On the other hand, so we can all be clear, I am quite aware of all demands and I am more advance on as to what we should do together. To all of those who say: “What is Edi Rama asking for? “What is this co-governance that Edi Rama is calling for? Why Edi Rama is seeking to form an alliance with the students?”, I will tell this:

You are right where you are just because you don’t understand what I want to do, because if you understand it you would have been here with me today. While I will tell those who listen them that you will become like them if you keep listening and following them. If you like the position they are in, then it is your own problem.

While, if you want to sit together and definitely address all of these problems, sit together to address the issues, for example, among many other things I’ve heard that the Student Councils do not work for years, or the Student Councils are open etc., etc. and here I have a message I received from a student at 1:00 pm last night. I have no authority to name him, but it is not absolutely an invented thing, since the student has a name, surname, photo, is not like many fake profiles that write and do what they want and the student says:

“Hello Mr. Rama! It is the fifth day I am protesting as a student extremely preoccupied about the future of the education system. I am a third-year finance student at Tirana University. We have been calling for dialogue and it is not completely wrong, but how is it possible to dialogue with thousands of students like us! Besides, we have completed a part of dialogue by forwarding the issues that concern us most. You can translate the remaining part of the dialogue into concrete projects on the issues we have asked for. If a group of student representatives was to be named, this would have been a very politicized move. Do you know why? The Students Council, at least in my faculty, has not been renewed and youth political forums of the opposition parties, which, at trust crisis times, seek to benefit as much as they can from this protest. There are also Socialist youth forum activists, although few in numbers, would definitely become subject to corruption practices. Moreover, the Faculty of Economics was granted the right to reconstruct its building. Do you know what happened? The building was painted, whereas the desks are broken. Modern halls are missing. The building was simply painted and I am convinced that the university managers have been involved in corruption practices. Therefore, the school is in a miserable state. I don’t think there is a need for dialogue. Many of my friends who live in the students’ campus are forced to take their home’s furniture in order to equip and provide normal living conditions in their rooms. There is no reason to dialogue about this issue too. The student’s representation is very low when it comes to election of deans and rectors and, above all, there is a significant lack of communication with them. There are incompetent pedagogues who teach them, one God knows how they got their PhDs. There is a lack of quality, which is the reason for the collapse of social values ​​because I believe that social values ​​are not established neither by politics nor courts, but only quality education, so I believe there is no need for dialogue on these issues but just solutions. Sorry to take your time, but I hope you read and understand us! All the best!”

I engaged in a long debate with this guy. I want to publicly thank him, but I explained him that exactly for these reasons dialogue is needed, because “we all face these problems and I hope will be all tackled.” By who? Bu God? Who am I? Am I the God who solves everything magically from heaven??! We write a list of demands to God and we don’t accept to meet Him, but we just tell Him: “Send down the solution.”

All solutions are possible, but solutions, especially on issues concerning those inside the university buildings, can only be found together.

I can’t walk in a university building to address problems in the way I and you all think.

On the other hand, the solutions are not merely financial and monetary ones. We will assume our responsibilities to address all financial issues and that can be sold by the government only, but this is not a matter of financial value, because, as I provided the example of children from the poor families, this is a matter of university values.

It is the university values the ones to have been hardly kicked and not the financial issues.

We have a lot to discuss. Now I would like to see the messages appear here on the Facebook page. Despite the messages and questions we have received and collected constantly, we have tried to pick the most relevant questions, but at the meantime I want to see all comments too in order to appropriately engage in this dialogue, with many people writing whereas I will be the only one to speak awaiting a dialogue to talk together.

I know people don’t ask you “How have you been, but how are you? However, I have seen many comments (I have read almost all of them) that suggest that situation has remained unchanged and nothing has happened.

The truth is utterly different. The truth is that situation was terrible when we took over. Our higher education system included 59 universities, 44 of them private universities, a number eight times higher than Great Britain and 15 times higher than Germany per one 1 million residents. Some 35 universities were opened in eight years that brought about consequences we see constantly today. What comes around goes around.

What came around during those catastrophic years is going around now as all those young people who attended such universities are now jobless and of course find it very difficult because they own useless diplomas and are completely incompetent to access the labour market because they lack qualification and vocational training.

On the other hand, what we did was that we closed down 22 universities. But it is not just a matter of university numbers. More than 28117 students used to attend the notorious part time system.

Actually, we set no quota for part time education system.

The total number of 1432 study programmes were available at public universities, 690 in private universities and we are constantly accused that our government has adopted a higher education reform to support the private university, while the number of study programmes between the public and private higher education institutions was almost equal.

For what reason? Because while the public higher education system, which accounts for 88 percent of the total number of students, offered over 700 study programmes, the private system, with only 12% of the total number of students, provided almost same number of programmes, 690. We overturned it.

There were no accredited public universities in 2013 and the higher education accreditation was done by the government. We have adopted a completely different approach and if only one higher education institution was accredited in 2006, just imagine, all private universities we closed down were accredited by the government. This is a theft!

This is called theft. That was a theft, a massive theft indeed. The today’s tariffs could be high. The tariffs today could be low. The tariffs could be as such. However, it is a system with tariffs being mismanaged by the universities themselves, yet it is not a theft system.

On the other hand, we have moved forward with the universities accreditation process by the British agency. The Prime Minister’s advisor was once the head of the Accreditation Board, whereas the Albanian universities are now 100% internationally ranked and accredited by the British Agency headed by a professor who lectures at London School of Economics. The government has no say on the accreditation of the universities.

But on the other hand, the university students have spoken up. But how it can be solved? How this is going to be solved? What? You tell me now. How are you going to solve the PhDs issue without dialogue? How? You know what used to happen previously? As many as 3201 students attended a post-graduate degree programme and 844 university professors, or 18 professors for 30 students, previously, which ran counter to law.

Even worse, one tenth of professors led 50% of the students. In other words, 90 university professors led the PhD programmes for 1500. How comes?

I have no academic degree. I have never thought of gaining an academic degree. I have already acknowledged and stated this fact years ago. There will come a day when we it will rarely happen to meet an individual without a doctoral degree, whereas we will find an endless number of doctors and professors. The Albanian law stipulates that one professor should lead five students in a post-graduate degree programme.

Much has been said about our higher education reform. I want to tell the first and second-year students that they belong to the first ever generation in the history of this country to have been admitted to university according to a merit-based system.

You belong to the first generation in the history of this country, and you know this pretty well, who have earned what you deserve. The excellent students have earned what they deserve. The low performing students have earned what they deserve too. No one has taken your position in the faculty of medicine, no one has taken your desired place, even the Prime Minister’s son or daughter, neither relatives of party activists.

Why and how did this happen in Albania, where everything was molested? This happened because we did our education reform. This happened because we put an end to any political influence. This happened we separated kept rectors and deans away from the pocket of students who wanted to enter the university and therefore, no one pays a single penny to enter the university today in Albania and nobody can take anyone else’s place. Is it the truth or not? Go out to protest, get the megaphone and say, “This is not true.” I invite any first-year or second-year student and state that he or she has been by X’s son or Y’s daughter and I am attending a faculty I do not want.” Why I am saying this? I am saying it to underline that you are our allies, you are my allies. You are not Luli’s allies. You are not Monika’s allies. You are not the neighbours’ allies. You are my allies and I am you ally and I want to fight together with you, not just to meet your demands, but to do much more than that. So distance yourselves from those who tell you “not to dialogue,” “not to talk”, “turn your back,” “yell, issue threats, put on masks, pay homage to Qemal Stafa’s grave” and then go out and protest. Leave them alone. You should come here and together carry out the task your parents dream about and your parents pay for.

I will keep talking a little longer since it has been a long time since everyone has been talking and commenting while I have not been given the opportunity to talk about this issue, because takes the trouble to listen when we talk about education in peacetime. Likewise, none of those who are now waving the flag of revolution have never made a question about education anytime we appear at the clubs of our media village. Their questions are like: What’s your relation with Meta? What do you plan to do about relations with Luli? Have you met Monika? What do you think about Monika’s boots? What about theft there? Will you reshuffle the government? Does Socialist Party faces party infighting? What’s the problem about this and that? They ask about everything that people don’t care about at all but they never ask about the education system. And they are now all making comments on TV channels hoping you will lay the “red egg” for them. Nobody cares about what happens then with you and what happens to the university and the country itself. Well, I am not here to discuss this. I would also like to highlight the funding for the universities. I move and speak based on facts. You are students and it is easy for you to object what I am saying by presenting facts.

First, I want to ask you whether the state budget for the higher education has increased or not since 2014 to 2018? Is it true that the state budget amounted to 5.5 billion and today is estimated over 8 billion? Is it true or untrue?

Second, is it true or untrue that the state budget funding for the student excellence has increased fourfold compared to 2013? Is it true that the university revenue in 2014 and 2018 are estimated 41 million dollars? If this is true, then the tuition fees have not increased since 2014.

The education costs are estimated as following: 18 000 lek a month or 6 000 lek a day under the low-tariff programmes and around 37 000 lek a month or 120 lek a day under the high-tariff programmes. This means that the tariff students pay a day is equal to the price of cup of coffee in the cheapest case and equal to the price of a cup of cappuccino in the most expensive case. But the protesting students are not to blame for this issue.

The students who are protesting have enrolled in university in the academic year 2015-2016. Which means we are certainly ready to review the tariffs, and I mean not exactly the tariffs but the government’s support for you to pay such tariffs because tariffs are the estimated costs. We will ensure transparency over the tariffs. Will the state budget cover 50 percent of the tariffs? Why not more than 50%? Why to cut in half the tuition fee for the best performing students? We will completely remove this fee. The Albanian taxpayers are ready to pay the entire fee for the best performing students. Why not to remove the tuition fee for the students from families under the social assistance?

What do you mean by calling for a 50% tariff cut? I don’t think so. How we can solve this? Do you expect me to appear on TV and draft a list and then wait what Luli, Monika and others would suggest you? This is impossible. The today’s students understandably don’t recall the worse past. It is definitely our duty to make things better.

There is another myth about the student numbers.

As many as 43 000 high school students graduated from the high schools across the country in 2013. Around 54% of the high school graduates, or 23 500 of them, enrolled in public universities. Meanwhile in 2018, 33 000 students graduated from the high schools and 53% of them entered the public universities and you can easily notice that the percentage of high school graduates admitted to university has not fallen although the part-time education system has been closed.

I repeat no tuition fee has changed since the 2014-2015 academic year, which means that the higher education reform hasn’t affected the tariffs. This is a fact! This is the reform about which you are told that it will destroy the education system and will favour the private education and stuff like that, No, No, No! These are pure lies because the tariffs were imposed by universities in 2015 as part of the university autonomy that was insistently demanded back then. Let’s not make many comparisons, but, the tuition fee for a bachelor programme in Montenegro, a country with almost equal income per capita, is 1500 euros.

I am not talking about Serbia where the tuition fees are four to 12 times higher. I won’t talk about other countries so that we don’t make other comparisons. We are ready to support students of various social categories to pay the tariffs, more than 50 percent of the tariff to be covered by taxpayers’ money.

On the other hand, I want to highlight that I have come across many comparisons. It is true, it is utterly true. If we take gross domestic production and consider the percentage in terms of the domestic production, we lag behind others. It’s true. We have never had higher budget for education, but what has happened and where is the difference today compared to 5 years ago as you say “I have impoverished people, I have miserably destroyed us.” No, this is not true.

Many see as a destruction the fact that they have to pay the electricity bill.

Many experience as a destruction the fact that they have to pay the water bill.

But sadly enough, there is no other way.

Do you know how much people pay in taxes in Serbia? People there pay a 10 percent income tax rate? A 10% flat tax, just like it was levied by the previous government here in Albania. A 10% tax rate is applied in whole region and it is almost same tax system. Do you know who pays a 10% income tax in Albania? Only those earning a monthly salary of 1.5 million lek and tax rate progressively grows when the salary is higher. But only five percent of the Albanians receive a monthly salary over 1.5 million lek. Where does this money come from? We want this, we want that. All requests are unquestionably right, but how to meet them? Do you know what is the tax rate imposed on small business in Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo? Let alone Greece. It happened to hear some university professors making comparisons with Germany and Switzerland. These countries provide more funding for education because around 50 percent of citizens’ income there is paid back to the state in taxes. Do you know how much we pay in taxes? 10% only.

I would invite the economics students to find another country where the profit tax rate is only five percent on businesses with an annual turnover of 140 000 dollars. Just find only one. All these force us to maintain balance because we can’t ask people to pay more in taxes in order to channel more money in this or that sector.

The last argument I want to provide is that we can’t imagine now in 2018 to hear certain people arguing “don’t build roads and provide bread instead.” This is something inexistent. So, according to them, we should not build the new Tirana Big Ring Road. Cancel such projects. The thing is that the money earmarked for consumption, should the government provides direct support for consumption, the money dries up and no funding would be available a year later, whereas the new road will remain there. Economy grows through investments. The economy of a household, a single-room house with a leaking roof can’t welcome guests and prosper should the whole amount of money the family receives is used for food. By the way, please skip this daily bread talk since Albania is not a country where people strive to earn the daily bread. It was not as such even during the previous government and it is not today. Of course there are families living in poverty. But the challenge we face is to understand and reflect why we plunged into the state we used to be and why we are not yet right there where we should have been and wish to be? This happens because no reforms have been carried out for years, because we haven’t made preparations for many years and we have made sacrifices, but we have just stolen and played tricks on each other. We have played tricks on each other and the state. But what are the consequences? Can we afford keeping doing the same again?

I would never do this because the new-born kids, the children who are growing up today and will enter the university several years from now, will not find an Albania with today’s university dormitories and the current situation. They should live in another Albania. But how we can do this?

We can build a different Albania through sacrifices, hard work and cooperation. I am quite aware for the government’s faults. I am pretty aware of the many shortcomings of the government. I am not an omniscient man, but if you think that the Prime Minister, whoever he is, is the person who should solve everything and he is the one who should do everything and the others just make requests, this is impossible and if we want to combat corruption, poverty and everything else, we can do it together. And this is not a slogan, but a concrete thing, especially at the university. Let the students protest as much and as long they want, but they can’t force decisions within the university. The government can’t take decisions and impose its will on the university, because it would mean the end of the autonomy of the universities. Let us all come together and decide in this momentum, let’s turn this moment into a momentum for the university. Let Luli and Monika alone there in front of the Ministry of Education building. You have nothing to do with them. Your place is right here. This is your government and this building is yours so come and “occupy” it. Walk inside and come to my office. Let us together sit down and deal with this problem because it is not merely a matter of tariffs. Do you understand?

Why the government has not provided more funding for the universities over these years?

I stated it clearly earlier. In 2013, the government’s average spending for each student was estimated around 70 dollars. Do you know what is the average spending today? It is 117 dollars. Is it sufficient? No, of course not. Nothing is enough in this country. But which one is higher, 70 or 117 dollars? The fact today is that we practically make the difference by providing around 50 dollars more for each student. Where does this money go? This is the question. You can’t accuse the government of corruption about this issue, because it is the university that manages this funding. The government just provides the due funding.

You have forwarded a series of demands and it was most recently I found out that not all students are eligible to vote in the university elections.

I am sorry, but in order for the things to be done properly we have an opportunity just to learn as much as we can from the others. Could you find a single country in Europe, a democratic country that provides everything people ask for? A larger share of the students’ vote than the existing one. You should bear in mind that you are students only for four years, whereas the university elections are part of the academic career. The academic career and the academic staff’s lifespan stretches beyond a generation of students and that is why academic staff have a greater share. How to do this, through a revolution? Stage a revolution and then make it completely different, with students assuming the university management role. This is impossible. If you would find a similar example, then we will follow the suit.

– Dardan Metaj: Don’t you thing that the Ministry of Education and the faculties are to blame for the situation as they have failed to inform students over the Council of Ministers’ decision, the new higher education reform and the tuition fees?

First, the reason I immediately felt bad and urged the Education Minister to urgently call the university deans and rectors about the government decision is because the Council of Ministers’ decision, which was made according to the proposal from all rectors and deans, took students by surprise. Which means that a decision has been made to impose a tariff on the failed exams and such a decision has not been communicated to the students. This is the right moment I want to tell them something, because I have not been given the opportunity to meet them, but we didn’t owe you this.

Why we don’t owe you this? Because you know it quite well that there is no decision, not a single article of the new higher education law that have not been extensively consulted with you all and there is not a single tariff you haven’t imposed by yourselves.

If Lindita Nikolla, who, just like everyone else, like me and everyone else, has her own deficiencies and many defects, but she has the virtue that no professor, no previous Education Minister has ever had, because she has been always willing to listen your concerns about everything, communicate with you on everything and consult for everything and to delay the reform process in order to receive the broadest possible consensus from you. She consults with you about everything and the decision she proposed to the government has been strongly demanded by you all and at the meantime you fail to inform students and when it comes that students hold the government responsible for this, you have no courage to acknowledge that it was you the ones to be blamed. We didn’t owe this. However, Dardani is right. We assume full responsibility. Is the ministry and the government responsible? The government is always responsible. It is not Sali’s fault, but mine. But this is the case.

Regarding the responsibility to inform you on the effects of the higher education law, I am sorry, but you are students and if you are interested then you should have read the law. I have got the impression it is not a sin that none of the students who talk about the higher education law haven’t read it all.

I think that the new higher education law effects are already clear. You know what the law’s most obvious effect is? The initial effect of the law is that no one has been able to take you place at the university you wished to study from the very beginning. Neither the daughter, nor the son of a cabinet members, oligarch or businessman, you name it, will now be able to rank higher than you. The university admission is now a merit-based process. You have your own place and you are the master of your destiny. This is what the higher education law provides for.

– Would you join the protest if you were a university student today?

If I would have been given that opportunity again, not just because I would win back some 35 years of my life, but more than that, I would have chosen to join the protest. I would not of course be in the Prime Minister’s office, but I wouldn’t certainly say: “I don’t want to talk”, and I wouldn’t believe that the Prime Minister would seriously mean it when inviting me to use his office and his power. It is easy to take the streets and stay there, but first come to my office. Just try once and take the streets again.

As to the administrative board of universities.

First, one of the things we want to do –but these things can’t be done partially and that’s why I am inviting you to sit and talk together – is to dismiss all government representatives at the administrative board of the universities. How about this? But I won’t make any move if you are not willing to discuss. I want you to put your hearts, minds and soul into this issue in order to build true university and not to chant on Luli’s or Monika’s behalf. “No politics, no politics!” It sounds good, but it is now political, a student’s politics with the government. You should say no political parties instead and not politics. This is your government and not your party. The Socialist youth forum has been unable neither to influence, nor to corrupt you. What is your problem? Come here and let’s talk together.

We are ready to dismiss all university administrative boards. We can’t include the student’s representation in the administrative boards in the higher education law. There is no such representation anywhere. Students were represented in administrative boards during the Chinese revolution only. Should there be another country, you just name a country, whichever of them, either Czech Republic, or Poland, Iceland, or even Greenland, then we will immediately provide the students’ representation by law. But this is not to be found in any country. We can’t borrow China’s revolution model. What we can do, but it won’t also be done unless you come to talk together, is that as long as this government remains in office, one of the government representatives in universities’ administrative boards will be elected by the students. You decide how you solve it, through a council or a senate. You just name it and pick a proper mechanism.

There is no reason for us to amend the higher education law. We are adopting legislation based on the best European competitiveness and merits practice to build another Albania, regardless all its problems, shortcomings, deficiencies, wrongdoings, faults, since and whatever else.

– Altin Shana: You are inviting us to draft the law together after having increased tax and tariff rates first. Why you didn’t do this earlier?

First, no taxes have been increased. I just explained the issue regarding the tariff. I am not saying that the law should be amended. If you are a student, it would be wise not to confuse such basic concepts. Why I didn’t do these things earlier? Because I am not an omniscient man. I am not a man who understands everything and capable of doing everything, being in every place simultaneously and I am not surrounded by computers, robots and omniscient people who do and understand everything. This is me and I do as much as I can, and look forward to seeing others encouraging me to do more.

Why you didn’t you do it previously?! I didn’t do it earlier, because you didn’t ask and didn’t push me to do it. I didn’t do it because you didn’t come out earlier and raise your voice by saying: “We pay a lot in exam fees.” It is only now you are mumbling. Because should you have spoken up earlier in order to put these professors to their proper place. Do you need the government’s and the Prime Minister’s help? Or you will be solving these issues on your own?

You didn’t raise your voice and it is only now you have started mumbling to mention the names of the university professors who should be held responsible. You are speaking in a lower pitch and their names will surface soon.

I have received the message, but this is not a matter of tariffs at all, but a more complex issue. The university is an autonomous entity and the government can’t interfere just like a bulldozer does. The university is not like the new ring road where bulldozers move in. I have heard a lot with many people mentioning an amount of “18 million euros.” How did you come up with this amount of 18 million euros? Who said it?!

This is the reason the government can’t move in on the university just like a bulldozer does. I would have joined you, but no dialogue can take place on the street. I have even been expecting those participating in that genuine protest to condemn what happened to the Education Minister. A woman showed up there after being called for hours long to join them in the square and it were exactly those who called her the ones to “welcome” her just like they did. Why?! How comes?! How comes you didn’t apologize to the Minister?

– Arilda Duraj: A study programme cost was estimated 2500 lek two years ago, whereas my brother pays now 6000 lek, or twice as much, for same programme at the same faculty. What is the reason to further increase the tariffs?

In what language you want me to translate the university autonomy term? I am saying that it is the university the one that imposes tariffs. What students can do, what we can do, because I just stated, the university sets the tariffs and we can’t and don’t intend to change them. But students should press for a mechanism of transparency to ensure that deans report and inform them on the reasons why they have decided to increase the tariffs. This is the reason why this has happened. It is a fact, the university autonomy, and nothing else. It is not the autonomy in itself to blame, because it is the right thing, but the problem is how to set up right mechanism under this autonomy to prevent such things from happening.

You are asking me to meet your demands, but who is going to clean up all this dirt?! You want me to throw money again in this dirt?!

A unique protest from another aspect is being created. A kind of a transgender and two-faced protest. A DP-sponsored protest during night hours and a non-political protest during the daylight

– Alba Mustafaj: Why this system doesn’t offer excellence scholarships. Many developing countries support students, whereas Albania, not only it offers no opportunities to excellent students, but they all, unable to leave the country, have to face and deal with corrupt professors.

Alba, first of all, Albania provides excellence scholarships. I think this process can further expand indeed. It can further expand but we need to talk first. However, Albania offers excellence scholarships. Meanwhile, employment in government jobs and public administration is an ongoing debate. How to solve this problem? I have a proposal – given that you haven’t put forward any proposal – on the employment of the excellent students in the public administration. But whom should I tell this? I haven’t heard such a demand. It seems that Monika haven’t thought about writing and forwarding such a request to Taulant, the professor, who might be a capable scientist, yet he is a political larva.

I believe we have a very good idea, because we have a European law on the public administration and we don’t want to change the law. You can’t join the public administration without undergoing a test first. But to take part in the test you need to have working experience. But an excellence student might rightfully ask “how am I going to join the public administration when I have no working experience”?

We are ready and we will make such a decision together with you, because if we are to forward it to the parliament, it will definitely be a result of our alliance. Do you want this alliance or are you going to stay there? We will make available 1 000 job positions in the public administration to excellent performing students with higher average grade.

For example, the best performing graduate with finance degree will take up a job position in the Ministry of Finance without having to undergo the test first to gain the needed experience and then sit the exam at the Public Administration Department. If the first one wishes to work in the private sector, then the second, third, fourth best performing graduates will be eligible for this job position. How could be this done? Because someone might have taught you to cheat at exams, but we don’t need such people. I don’t want the copy, but the original to discuss these things. These things are to be discussed and articulated. This is my idea.

– Andrea has written as following: Mr. Prime Minister, I and my friends are seeking nothing but improvement of a set of conditions that a European student needs.

But how are we going to build the European Albania, Andrea? Because a European student is necessary for a European Albania. Can there be a European student in a country that is not yet a European country? How are we going to make sure that you become a European student at a time when Albania is not a European country yet?

On the other hand, how are you going to be treated as a European student when you are the only kind of student who refuses to dialogue. European students do no say this. European students do not take the streets yelling and screaming and they sit in the table of talks with the government. If you are calling for the conditions of a European students, I invite you to sit and talk together about what we can do and what you can do. Of course, we need to do more to improve living conditions in dormitories. I am speechless and I don’t know what to say at all when looking at the conditions in dormitories. But, on the other hand, here too there are many of people refusing to take a look around this our space and say: “Ah, this is a 3-D project.” I agree, but we have not only 3-D projects, but also a concrete investment programme worth 18 million euros. It is an 18-million-euro investment programme supported by the German government?! Did we steal it from the German government?! Or is the German government stealing from the dormitories of the construction engineering faculty?! There is a beautiful story behind this project. You pledge to develop a project and from the moment you promise it till the construction work completes the project undergoes a series of stages that go mostly unnoticed. During her visit to Tirana, I asked the German Chancellor Angela Merkel to support the project on reconstruction of the student dormitories. Do you recall her visit? I asked for her support that year in July and since then the process entered the bureaucratic procedures and finally a funding of 18 million euros has been provided and the investment is underway. It is a real investment in the dormitories of the construction engineering faculty, or the Students City No.2.

This is the first stage of a whole project worth 56 million euro in total, because the funding is disbursed in tranches and it takes years. Because people here want everything now, but it can’t be like that. Actually, the project is about the energy efficiency programme, so it is about energy efficient buildings.

This is Tirana university campus, the Students City that will transform into a true university campus. This is an international competition held by the Albanian government and the whole campus project and the process is already underway. It is easy to talk and make comments, but what did we find in this campus. We have encountered the property restitution and compensation and unfinished development projects that are “landmines” we find everywhere. However, what I am saying is this:  We are thinking about such projects, but you haven’t required any of them, but the tuition fee rises. What about the dormitory tariffs in spite of the miserable living conditions there? Isn’t the government responsible also for this since no decent living conditions are provided in the dormitories? Is it possible that the government also assumes responsibility for these dormitory tariffs too because we have yet to rebuild them as we can’t rebuild everything overnight after Albania was destroyed for 25 years? One might ask, how long do you plan to stay in power? This is another topic we can discuss sometimes later, but this is not the last December. So, for every dormitory that fails to meet the required conditions until they are fully reconstructed, the government should tell each students’ parents: “We are sorry, but this is what we can offer for the moment and you should now pay another contribution.” Do you want this?

How are we going to achieve this? Through dialogue only. This is not a negotiation, but a dialogue. This is something I am asking for and it has not been you asking for that. Meanwhile, we have agreed with Tirana municipality to find the site where the university campus will be build and the work is underway to make way to the construction site. It will be a project we will publicly commit and provide due funding and work to construct the new university campus will complete over the next four years. You haven’t demanded this, but we will build the campus as it is a ready plan. Many might say that such projects will evaporate just like the Air Albania did. The national carrier “Air Albania” is still there and is now in a process of obtaining a series of licences that will make it part of the European network as a national carrier. So, I know that many things cannot be done as quickly as you expect them to be done, but I want to assure you all that none of you wants things to be done as quickly as I want them to be done. And I feel very bad when something I expect to complete today doesn’t actually complete and face stagnation and obstacles. We designed the new Ring Road Project and we came across a fraud masterminded by a devious man. “It is Edi Rama’s company – they say,” and I get extremely bored, but what can I do? And I pull my teeth and just move forward. But there is something you should know. There is no Prime Minister in the world who wouldn’t have wanted to do things as soon as possible and give everyone as much as possible. This is for sure. It’s easy then to do them quickly especially when you’re in opposition.

-When the vetting of super rich university professors will take place?

Why should we do that? You are ok. It is easy for you to throw bottles at the Education Minister when she walks out of her office and tells you: “Here I am. What do you want?” But you have never spoken up whenever you have been humiliated “either you buy my book, or you will fail the exam.” Why should we do the vetting? Who is going to do that? I won’t do anything for you, either join us and do the vetting together, or you just stay right there where you are. This is what I know to say.

I am ready to do everything for you should you be ready to fight for yourselves. If you are ready to take your destiny in your own hands without making hidden comments via Facebook and show bravery while on Facebook, you should demonstrate dignity and seriousness whenever a professor dares to ask money or orders you to buy his books. Then you can immediately come here. What we shall do together? We will be stronger should you come here and together fight such professors. But if you keep staying there (protesting), why should I do the vetting of the professors then? Or you may ask Luli to do the vetting. He is a master of the vetting. He just completed the vetting of the politicians as he sent the draft to the Venice Commission and it won’t be a surprise when he will say that Venice Commission justified their cause. Or you can ask for Monika’s help as she is a doctoral degree-holder. I am not a doctor of science. I have no academic degrees. He, the political larva, has been showing up on TV stations, saying that Edi Rama should show how he has received the PhD. I am neither a doctor, nor a professor, but an Albanian painter who his extremely passionate for this country. This is me. That’s all. I often seem arrogant, as if I am the smartest of men, and as if I ignore everyone else. I can’t help myself, but this is me and it is because of my passion. I fight for my ideas. I fight for my convictions, and then at some point I say “Wait a minute, someone else is right about this”, but I still keep fighting.

I also use Facebook and social networks extensively, but it is me, Edi Rama there. I am not the Prime Minister there. We are all equal there. I have told this all my Facebook friends. I am just like you. Why should I be careful when talking to you?

I am ready for everything, because I want to make what you imagine happen. I want to make it happen, but I also know I can’t do it on my own. It will end one day as you will go home on year-end holidays. The only one to remain there on the square will be the Jala camping activists, while the others will return to their families to celebrate year-end holidays. And you will come back and say: “Nothing happened this time too.” No, it is not like that. It is now or never. You don’t have to worry about the tariffs. But this is not merely a matter of tariffs, but it is much more than that, right? This is how I see it.

I came across this Taulant Muka again. Let’s be serious as he became a personage without deserving to become so, and I want you to understand whether I really want the university reform, whether I really want the things you imagine. I had no clue who Taulant Muka was and he came to my office along with a group of university professors. He asked for a meeting with Lindita Nikolla. She received him and Lindita told me that a young man currently working in Switzerland had some ideas on this and that. I told Lindita I wanted to meet him. This is the truth.

A group of lecturers came to my office, including a young man from Kosovo. I honoured him more than he deserved, but this is a different topic. He presented his platform and I asked him: “Where are you?” I am in Switzerland – he said. What do you do in Switzerland? – I am a scientist- he said. I told him that I was elected to head the government, but the government cannot do everything. So you can’t keep telling us how to do this and that while working in Switzerland. Therefore, I invited him to return home and replace the Deputy Education Minister you have been accusing of plagiarism. What? – he said. What are saying is something I didn’t expect. You don’t expect many other things – I replied. Indeed, it was me the one who didn’t expect it. This is what I am proposing you and take the position of the Deputy Education Minister and act by using the government’s authority. Otherwise – I told him – you better leave, because we can’t wage a war against university professors, rectors and deans, with sleeping students and failed graders, and the excellent students who mind their own business and keep saying: “When is this going to end as can’t no longer live with Monika and Luli, who brand Edi Rama as a dictator who is seeking to capture the universities.” You are the university people and you will now work as Deputy Education Minister so do whatever you know to do. And what he did? On the very first day he asked for a personal car and chauffeur. He wanted also his father to employ as his personal driver” I didn’t meet him again. He sent me a SMS and I told him to contact the cabinet’s chief and take it easy, because it is a thing to be a scientist, but it means nothing. He was just a political larva. This is what I think about him. I told all these so that, first, no one can now ask: “What was this? A dialogue or a monologue?”. This is a communication on the dialogue for the university.

– Is there support for excellent students who are awarded scholarships to study at elite Western universities?

Ok, what if we award scholarships to excellent students to study here for example? What do you think? I think we should. You haven’t been asking about none of these things at all. I think we should take the strain and provide scholarships to excellent students here. There is a number of Albanian excellent students who are granted scholarships to study in 15 leading Western universities, but I think we should provide such scholarships to best-performing students to study here in Albania. Of course, the value of domestic scholarship will be lower than the scholarships in the Western countries. But how would we be able to do so if you keep staying out there? Shall we agree on this will those speaking on loudspeaker, telling the crowd: “You are not entitled to address him questions”? Ok, you can than discuss with each other and find a solution together. It is quite easy for you.

Greetings Mr. Prime Minister. I want to inform you that the faculty of medicine dormitory receives water supply only for a few hours a day and showers work three hours a day for over 350 students…

I have nothing to say. It is a shameful situation and should work and fight together to alter this reality. We will do our part by intervening and implementing reconstruction projects in all dormitories. Such projects are already underway, but still I think it is time to sit together. I will be here and always ready to welcome and talk with 10, 20, 100 students. The Centre for Openness and Dialogue is open to the public and you can just walk in and say “We want to meet Edi Rama”. I will immediately join you to talk and discuss together.

This is not a battle between students and the government. Neither between government and students. Government and students are on the same side. We are on the same side together with professors, university officials, academic staff, parents, with all those who want things to improve. The government is not sinless. The government has undoubtedly its share of responsibility. But I invite you to discuss with the government and engage in dialogue.

So if you are ready to talk, I will be available anytime at your convenience. You won’t be assuming any responsibility. You won’t be signing any document. We will just talk and discuss face to face publicly for every Albanian citizen to listen and watch. Do you agree? If you wish, I am also ready to meet and talk with you at any TV station you want.

Goodbye!