“Ismail Qemali” University students and lecturers in Vlora, beneficiaries under the ERASMUS +, the European Union’s programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe, as well as foreign students from European universities cooperating with Vlora University under this programme, today joined the Prime Minister Edi Rama in a panel discussion on the higher education and importance of the internationalization of the higher education process as a prerequisite for further transformation of universities and provision of a range of choices to young people to attend same high school degree programs and quality standards in Europe.

* * *

-I am a former Vlora University student and I graduated from the University of Vlora with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in nursing science with excellent grades and I can proudly acknowledge that I have been one of the first students to be selected by one of the best universities of technical medical sciences under the ERASMUS programme. ERASMUS programme changed my life, also for the simple reason that I stand higher employment chances and I’ve ranked first in every job application. I currently have a very good job at an accredited centre and ERASMUS programme helped me to choose my job position.

-I am currently a member of the academic staff at the Computer Science Department at Ismail Qemali University. I was a student at this university years ago and I have joined the academic staff after having graduated with excellent grades.

-I am attending the professional doctorate degree at a European Union member state like Romania and I would like to express my graduation to Vlora University for the relations it has established with various European universities, creating everyone the opportunity to apply for university studies abroad under these bilateral accords.

-I fully agree with my colleague, as we are fellow students attending the third cycle PhD programme in Romania. I would like to thank you all for providing us this opportunity thanks to the ERASMUS Programme and the University Rector Roland Zizi, because we have also been granted scholarships to attend this degree programme.

Prime Minister Edi Rama: Thank you very much for this meeting and I would like to sincerely wish good luck and every success to each and every one of you as you attend these international university degree programs. Internationalization of higher education is a top government priority.

Opening as many doors as possible to our university students and lecturers to universities in Europe, as well as importing as much experience and knowhow as possible from Europe to our higher education institutions are a prerequisite for further transformation of the higher education system, in order to create a plethora of opportunities for students to attend same university degree programs here in Albania and set the same European standards locally  and this is best possible through the internationalization of the higher education  and I am very happy to find out that the number of university students and lecturers who access international degree programs keeps growing steadily.

Albanian universities have inked a significant number of agreements with foreign higher education institutions during the last year in particular, when we announced internationalization of the universities as a top government priority and we have been closely working with the university rectors, the relevant ministries of education and science across Europe, whilst joint meetings have been hosted in a bid to promote and take this process forward.

Ample new opportunities have been already provided, more spaces will be created and I am confident that such an approach will definitely yield more fruits year by year.

I would also like to underline a significant increase in participation rate and success of our universities in the European university programs that allows the university staff and academic teams to benefit from funding that in turn allow them to enhance their personal income. It is about funding that Albania always lagged behind everyone in the past, because of failure, mismanagement and the failure to reform higher education. However, I believe that with the higher education reform now being implemented, with the difficult yet systematic and steady steps being taken, a new set of rules and habits, so to say, are being created to see the university as part of a path, where people should not expect the government to deliver and provide everything, but instead everything should be an outcome of the internal organization of the internal stakeholders and an outcome of the interaction with other universities.

A significant achievement was recently materialized with the European Union during the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Tirana, providing Albanian universities access to the European Network of Higher Education Institutions, which allows our universities to join projects and programs like the ones implemented in the European universities, without waiting for Albania to become EU member state.

This is a very significant accomplishment that opens up fresh perspectives to universities that should make best use of it without wasting time.

As to Vlora University, specifically its needs and your demands, we have always been and will always be ready to assist the university by providing whatever we can and we will keep working to gradually address the need for new infrastructure, new spaces, laboratories and so on and so forth.