Where does education funding go? Is there meritocracy in employment? The State School Graduation program’s failure and what has to be rectified were among the concerns that former Minister of Education Myqerem Tafaj addressed in an interview with Merita Haklaj on A2 CNN. Professor Tafaj asserts that investing 5% of Gross Domestic Product in quality education is necessary, citing reports from international organizations.
Tafaj stressed that while we are not a wealthy country, “we cannot be so impoverished that 30 years after the end of the regime, we still lack schools with adequate facilities.”
“After 1990, many traveled inside the nation, arriving in Tirana from the south and north, just to improve children’s education. Albania is one of the nations where parents place a higher premium on their children’s education. However, this internal movement emptied entire regions of the country, displacing the greatest instructors. These communities currently require substantial investment. To begin, inhabitants of rural places must think that they can live there. If they stay, the state should spend more aggressively than it does in cities. This includes teachers, school settings, textbooks, and the instruments necessary for youngsters to access the internet. However, this gap exists across the whole area of education, not just pre-university,” Tafaj stated.
“We have fallen short of our responsibilities to this country. Albania is not a wealthy country, this is unquestionably true. Albania cannot, however, be so impoverished that 30 years after the dictatorship’s demise, there are still no schools operating under regular standards. At the absolute least, each village school should have the same conditions as an ordinary village residence. Apart from propaganda, we do not have this. According to a 2020 UNESCO assessment, 90% of Albanian schools lack a working heating system. Following that are the fundamental criteria of hygiene. In summary, we have not brought our schools up to a level conducive to learning. These are the fundamental requirements, without referring to cabinets or laboratories. It will not be a laboratory for science, but rather a place for students to gain basic information,” Tafaj explained.
Regarding higher education, Tafaj stated, “Students should be informed about the field of study they have selected and the opportunities for employment in the country or abroad.
Regarding higher education, Tafaj stated, “Students should be informed about the field of study they have selected and the opportunities for employment in the country or abroad. Students do not pick teaching because they are aware of the pay they would earn and the opportunities available to them. The leaked payroll database is thus extremely demotivating, as students now see that a driver earns twice as much as a professor.”