Today marks the presentation of the Report by the Accreditation Board of Higher Education Institutions, titled Achievements and Challenges on the Path to University 4.0 – a transformative journey of higher education designed to meet the demands of the digital era.
At the opening of the event, Prime Minister Edi Rama, present at the occasion, emphasized among other things:
“To provide the young women and men of this country — as well as others who may come to study in Albania — with a serious and competitive academic offering, particularly in view of Albania’s upcoming membership in the European Union, we need to push forward with greater determination and address without hesitation what is now clearly essential to confront. This includes starting with a revision of the higher education law, drawing on our accumulated experience, while also considering the many new developments in the academic world.”
* * *
Prime Minister Edi Rama:
Thank you very much for your presence!
This is a meeting we requested to present a necessary overview of the intensive work carried out over a four-year term by the Accreditation Board of Directors, a board that deserves our respect and gratitude for its commitment. It has undoubtedly gathered a substantial body of data and significant experience, which now needs to be put at the service of the academic community, of higher education institutions, of the bodies administering higher education, and of course, of the relevant institutions of the Albanian government.
I wish to express my deep appreciation to the members of the Board, who, as you know, are distinguished Albanian and foreign personalities actively engaged in the European academic world. They have made available to our country — and to the Board — their knowledge, dedication, and, importantly, their professional integrity.
On the other hand, I would like to say that even from a summary — which will be further elaborated by Ms. Telhaj, the Chair of the Board — it becomes very clear that significant progress has been made over these past years. At the same time, there remains a considerable amount of work to be done. As we undoubtedly move forward, there is no question that the world is advancing at a much faster pace. To keep up with this rhythm and to offer the young women and men of this country a serious and competitive academic offering, especially considering Albania’s upcoming membership in the European Union, we need to push forward vigorously and address, without hesitation, those matters that are now clearly essential to tackle.
Starting with a revision of the higher education law — a law that, after all these years, is due for a thorough review, drawing from the accumulated experience as well as from the many new developments that have taken place in the global academic landscape.On the other hand, I would like to share with you an extraordinary experience — and I would humbly suggest that you take some time to observe it closely: the collaboration between the Agricultural University of Tirana and BOKU University in Vienna. This is a truly insightful case study for understanding both the gaps that separate us from European excellence and the mechanisms that can help us bridge those gaps.
The Rector of the university, together with his team and our support, has engaged the institution in a profound transformation process. In terms of reform, the university has embarked on a restructuring effort unprecedented in Albania’s academic landscape. This reform stems directly from intensive collaboration with BOKU University and the alignment of academic programs between the two institutions. The aim is to create a synergy that goes beyond traditional international cooperation which, while positive, typically remains limited to the framework of separate national systems.
In contrast, the partnership between the Agricultural University of Tirana and BOKU University is integrative in nature. It seeks to ensure that by 2030, degrees awarded by the Agricultural University of Tirana will be equivalent to those from BOKU Vienna. This would position UBT as a regional reference point for excellence in academic programs related to fields which, just a decade ago, might not have been seen as priorities — but which today are increasingly central to everyday life. These include challenges tied to sustainable development, environmental protection, innovative approaches to the use of natural resources, safe food systems, and more.
I am genuinely hopeful that this transformation of the university will also increase the interest among high school graduates in choosing this institution, because earning a degree from this university will increasingly serve as a guarantee of employability, whether in public institutions or private enterprises. As I mentioned earlier, the challenges and the fields in which the Agricultural University of Tirana operate are becoming ever more strategic.
I brought this example to your attention to emphasize the importance — especially for those of you directly involved in this work to closely examine what has been achieved and what is currently underway. It’s also crucial for understanding the challenges involved in creating that level of synergy, and for witnessing firsthand how integration with one of the world’s top-ranked universities requires significant changes in our own system. It calls for a substantive revision of the higher education law, as well as a shift in the managerial approach of our universities.
These were the key points I wanted to share without repeating what the Minister already outlined in her summary. I now wish to give the floor to the members of the Board, starting with the Chair, Ms. Shqiponja Telhaj, so they can present their findings and share with you — and with us — their views on the main challenges we must collectively address.
Thank you once again for your presence, and I hope this interaction proves to be meaningful and worthwhile — especially before the holiday break and as you all prepare for the upcoming academic year.
***
Conclusions after discussions on the Report of the International Board of Accreditation of Higher Education Institutions
Prime Minister Edi Rama:
Firstly, maybe the approach that the rector had was very focused on the University of Tirana, while this is clearly a reflection for all universities. And since you are people who run campaigns and elections and in this respect, we have, so to say, common ground based on my experience, I want to tell you that if you want to win elections again, you have to look at things from the perspective of someone who has just arrived, not from someone who has been there and feels hurt when the things they have done aren’t highlighted properly or when their shortcomings are pointed out more than necessary.
Ogerta knows very well that the biggest worry all my collaborators have is after we win elections rather than until we win them, because what I ask myself and my colleagues, is to reinvent ourselves by looking at the things we’ve done as if they were done by an enemy, not as if we did them ourselves.
Regardless of how much it will cost or would have cost for us to have more “full-time” lecturers than “part-time” ones, this doesn’t change the fact that having 50% of the academic staff as part-timers is a problem. Then, how much it costs to solve it or how long it takes to solve it is another issue, but the problem cannot be solved by the fact that we are in this situation out of necessity.
Another thing that, without a doubt, I think must improve is to increase the capacity of the diaspora in our academic world.
We have many people, and you have many colleagues, acquaintances, former classmates who are today in universities around the world and increasing our universities with them, within the ranks of our academics, is a necessity.
Another fact which is not the fault of the board, or the report is that we have more universities per square meter greater than Slovenia, than England, and many other countries. We used to have even more, and we have reduced the number, we still have too many.
So, we’ve spoken before about the rationalization of universities, but we’ve never actually done it. I think it is very clear that internationalization has certainly begun, it is certainly producing some results, but we are far behind. If we don’t admit that we are far, we won’t be able to move faster. If you don’t admit the problem, you can’t possibly solve it because you don’t recognize it or only partially acknowledge it.
We are far. Our ambition must be much greater. And our reconciliation with the past, in terms of what we have done so far, is simply something to place on the table when we’re no longer dealing with this work. This is crucial.
Plagiarism? That this is the homeland of plagiarism we know this very well, don’t we?
There was a big fuss at a certain point. That whole big movement happened back then, the University Pact and the only element that remained completely unaddressed is plagiarism. That’s a fact, not an opinion.
Certainly, we shut down PhDs not for a short period either because, as the saying goes, “better an empty cradle than the devil inside.” And now we’ve restarted, seemingly with some things set better in place, the mechanism is more trustworthy, etc., but even today as we speak, we still have in process those new PhDs that will come. All of this should motivate us to go deeper and move forward.
So, at this point, I say that regardless of what might be discussed in or about the report, arguing with figures is never reasonable. There may be other facts, there may be other figures that can surely be added, but the essence, I believe, is this: all those recommendations are valid, from the first to the last. Tell me one that is not. They are all true. Starting from the fact that we have 41 universities in such a small country and not just 41 universities, but 41 universities that mostly have generalist programs that produce all kinds of doctors. While someone might be specialized in only one thing and you know it, that you want to deal with cultural heritage, or archaeology, or anthropology etc., you should have one faculty, in Gjirokastër, not every type.
Progress so far gives us all the reasons for only one thing: to believe that it is possible to go much higher, but nothing more. If 1, 2, 3, 4 things have been achieved which seemed very difficult or even impossible some time ago, it means that 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 more things can be achieved and that is what we need to focus on.
From our side, the lesson we’ve taken from the board, from the experts’ history, and from all the others and from the lack of data, because in this regard you are a mess, but not alone, we are all a mess in this point. I mean, in the state’s relationship with data: how much data we collect, how much we process, and how much we base policies on data. We are all together at the lowest level possible compared to the last country before us in the European Union.
So don’t feel alone in this, and don’t feel offended. You are a mess and what’s the lesson we take from this? That ASCAL cannot be an institution that processes data quantitatively and qualitatively. It cannot be an institution that hires experts who do not have the relevant academic background.
So, as far as we are concerned, we are aware that we need to undertake important reflections based on this experience not just from the report, because the report is only one element but from the entire experience of these four years, with its strengths and gaps, to move this work forward with faster steps and greater ambitions.
The University of Tirana has one position, other universities have different positions, public universities with private funding have a different position, and all together we must draw our own conclusions, so that when we begin addressing the Higher Education Law. And certainly, when it comes to the government, the government will have to take on more responsibilities even financially.
Scientific research. Let’s tell the truth now. The day when something produced by scientific research gives us something outside the walls of the university, we can say that we too have begun to engage in real scientific research.
Thank you for the passion with which you addressed the issue.
We are all here for a purpose, each from their own position. I personally and I want you to believe this regarding the government, we have quite a few things that we need to look at differently, do differently, speak better about, and be even closer to you about the things you are right about. For the things you’re wrong about you must figure that out yourselves, because you are autonomous.
Thank you!
