TIRANA, Oct 6 /ATA/ – The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) voiced concern Monday over the state of higher education in Albania, saying fewer than 40% of university programs are accredited.
Speaking at a press conference, the head of the DP’s Education Department, Lili Sula, said that “empty lecture halls are the clearest reflection of this crisis,” noting that student numbers have dropped by 45% over the past decade.
Sula said teaching programs were “in collapse” and criticized the government for what she called restrictive policies in medicine and other key fields. “This year, applications for general medicine fell by 40% due to government-imposed barriers,” she added.
She also cited data showing that over 40% of university lecturers lack a PhD and that 46% work part-time. Research funding, she said, remains among the lowest in Europe according to Eurostat.
Sula accused the government of undermining university autonomy and turning institutions into “extensions of the ruling party.
/m.q/j.p/u.sh/
