Speech of Prime Minister Edi Rama at the inauguration of the new building of the Central Corpus of Tirana University:

Hello to everyone!

I had a heated debate with the rector when he began works for the building behind my back. I thought that the invitation for the inauguration would end the debate, but it started again as soon as I took the turn over there, and saw the other two buildings that are here as if they reminded us that the struggle continues. And also, as if they wanted to prove us how much we have to fix in our common home, for which so little has been done over the years.

However, I want to assure you that these two wings that prevent us from thoroughly enjoying the new construction, will join soon the other two parts, and the entire Corpus will have the charm and dignity that the Polytechnic University deserves, in addition to being the mirror of our ambition for the University.

We have made a reform of higher education and today, in the wake of this reform, autonomy is guaranteed more broadly. But being autonomous means having more responsibility. So, I did not have the time to make it clear to the rector, but I am telling him this before you. The government will finance everything is required from the outside. The rector, with his autonomy, will finance everything from the inside, and both sides will join all the rest.

I am saying this for the students so that when works begin, no matter what, they will curse me only if they don’t like it from the outside, while for everything that is wrong in the inside, you go to the rector and tell him: “You have the autonomy, now finance and do the right thing.”

Joking apart, which is half the truth, and in this case it is up to me to tell the truth because, with respect to what I said on the necessity for this corpus to be unified in its charm, I want to say a few words about this very important moment in the journey of higher education.

I want to return to the reform. We have made a reform which had its opponents, as it is normal because if it didn’t have any opponents, it wouldn’t be a reform. Indeed, the reform is so deep that in my view it had much less opponents than it should have.

Meanwhile, there was a broad consensus that comes as a result of the awareness that university is not a place where you come to kill time, but is a place where you come to learn; it is not a place where you can get a document that shows what you are not, but it’s a place where you come to become what you want to be. For this reason, there are two pillars erected by the reform and on which the reform sets the path of knowledge in the world of education. They are competition and merit. Open, fair and transparent competition for all, and merit based on everyone’s skills, so that the University is no longer an intermediate stage, a shelter for many young people who have not been offered any other option for many years, so that the powerful could buy time and not be confronted with what is the biggest problem, unemployment of the young people.

Today we are in other conditions, although things will require time to be changed. Not everybody is forced today to attend university. Today, many people have the possibility to choose another option: vocational education. University is the choice of those who are ready to face competition and are able to go through the path of knowledge by attending university, based on their merit.

Part of this reform is certainly the basis of autonomy which is the free choice of leaders at every university level. The entire responsibility here is of those who choose, therefore within the academic world.

I am proud to say that in these elections, which are the first under the new reform, the government has done its job at best. I want to repeat what the minister said. The regulation of elections, which is the duty of the government through the Ministry of Education, has been designed as never before in consultation with everybody. The Regulation has been the product of a new relationship between the Ministry of Education and the autonomous university world, as never before.

Secondly, as never before, complaints have been zero until 3 days ago. According to the information we have received, the process went smoothly. As never before, the government and the largest party in the coalition did not intervene in any moment, and did not point the finger to orient the vote and to show for which candidate it should be cast.

I want to confirm here, on this day of election silence for candidates, but not for me, that there is no Socialist Party candidate in any of the competitions taking place in the whole university world. They are candidates of the university, of the faculty, they are candidates who represent themselves, a career, who represent their skills, their merits, and they are all equal in our view. It is up to those who choose to make their choice, considering that they are not choosing a party, an MP, they are not choosing a mayor, but they are choosing the person and the persons who will carry forward the reform, and will implement that historical process of internal transformation of the university, by providing quality to the university autonomy.

University autonomy cannot be, as it has been for years, a facade behind which all sorts of bargaining have been going on, along with stories that have affected the nature of the University. Autonomy is freedom and responsibility. Autonomy begins with the elections. It is the freedom of those who choose, and it is the responsibility of those who choose.

As far as we are concerned, we will cooperate closely based on the new law and in view of the reform with everyone elected by the University. For us, when the threshold of the academic world is crossed, there is no distinction between theirs and ours. This is not a watchword. I am not campaigning. Our truth is simple, and if there is somebody who can hardly believe it, for historic reasons, because of the prejudice and because of all sorts of nonsense, I am convinced that each candidate can prove it.

Finally, what happened three days ago does not prove that University is affected, but it confirms the willingness of our Government to not allow anyone and for any reason to affect University. That is the simple truth of a very sad story, completely unacceptable, and which nobody can use by using University and take their own profits outside the walls of the university world.

I assure you that we will be on the side of University in any case, we will be on the side of the elected and of professors without distinction, within the limits of this world. We will never come here and talk about politics, but when we are invited, whether us or anyone else invited by you. Until shortly before I became Prime Minister, I dreamt of the day when universities could be accessed freely by politicians who, invited by the students, can make a conversation outside the class hours. This day has come. You can invite whoever you want! If you invite us, we will do politics even here. Otherwise, we are here to tell you that together with you, students and professors, we want to take University further, to have it revived in the truest sense of the word, after a long and inglorious period during which the great public university was competed successfully by private universities with much smaller capacity, and under very difficult infrastructure aspects.

We are for free competition. We do not think that there are two kinds of education: one that has a mother and another one that has a stepmother. Our students are citizens of the same homeland. Those attending public universities are citizens of the same homeland as those attending private universities. The competition is free, and we will fulfil our duties towards all of you because it is a solemn obligation that we have in the first place towards the parents of all students who invest everything for their biggest dream and hope, that of having their children equipped with all the skills they need to become successful in life.

Many thanks!

Best wishes to all of you! I hope that within no more than 300 days I will come here again, after I finish my work with these buildings on both sides, while as for the rector, well it’s up to you.

Thank you!

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A new modern building will be added to the Central Corpus of the University of Tirana. A modern building equipped with facilities for teaching and research, both for students and professors.

The design and implementation of the four-storey building has been made in accordance with the National Quality Standards, specifically for the facility of the engineering branches.

The investment covers a total construction area of approximately 8 thousand square meters, including 24 classrooms with an area of approximately 1.500 square meters, six lecture halls with an area of approximately 800 square meters, 8 laboratories with area of approximately 600 square meters, as well as offices for teaching and administrative staff. Whereas, another 3.000 square meters of green area are supposed to serve as a relaxing environment for students.

The new premises are expected provide improved conditions for students who get ready to enter the labour market.