Higher Education Reform in
Albania
Ministry of Education and Science,
Arjan Shahini
Outline
• Public Management: Central Authorities
• Priorities (Gov.  National Strategy for Higher
Education 2008-13)
• Expansion: Example  Private Education
(approach + current state)
Central Authorities
I.
Public management and governance of higher education
Central Authorities:
- Government / MoES
- Accred. Council
- Council of Higher Education and Research
- National Examination Center + Immatriculation
- Parliament
- Committee on Education and Means of Public
Information
- the Committee on Work, Social Issues and Health
Objectives of the strategy
• Develop the society and promote democratic
standards.
• Develop economically and equally the country
through education of a qualified work force.
• Fulfill the development aspirations of the young
generations.
• Develop and consolidate a wide and adequate
knowledge base for the benefit of the country.
Strategic priorities
I.
Expand the system (increase supply)  meet
the needs of the country and create higher education
opportunities for all .
II. Ensure diversity in education offers  in line with the
requirements of the future development of the country.
III. Improve the quality of teaching and learning 
continuous training of human resources and fostering a
culture of quality.
IV. Improve governance mechanisms  grant HEIs
adequate autonomy conditional upon the achievement of
quality management, accountability and transparency.
V. Develop methods, schemes and levels of
financing  student’s based (need and merit – SL) for
teaching and competitive for research institutions (SDF).
Approach: Reform & Innovation
Main Areas of Reform
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Learning
Teaching
Modernization
Mobility
Labor market
Life-long
Curriculum
• Diversified
• Tuition fees
• Loans
Funding
•Accountability
•Autonomy
•Strategic
partnerships
•Quality assurance
•Modernize
•Management
•Equal access
•Internationalization
Governance
•Reg. Dev. Centers
•Research
Institution
•Merge teaching &
research
Research &
Development
Strategy Evaluation: Problems
1.
2.
3.
4.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Increase in environment’s complexity
Resistance to change
Difficulty predicting future
Increasing number of variables
Rate of obsolescence of plans
National and global events
Decreasing time span for planning certainty
Lack of capacities for the implementation
II. Expansion: Instruments
• Liberalization of the education market: allow
private providers (profit and non-profit).
• Increase capacities (“consolidation and growth
of the capacities of the existing institutions”)
• Concentrated only in some fields of study
(economic priority sectors: tourism,
agricultural, food industry).
• Gradual increase of the number of students.
• Support regional universities
II. Expansion: e.g private education (a)
• Approach:
– Mix: Laissez –faire with market competition*
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No funding; tax incentives for students
Private sector free to set tuition fees
Limited regulation, but regular auditing
No special laws
state introduces market elements in the higher
education market
• creates open market structure
• state encourage private-public competition
* Zumeta W. (1997) State Policy and private Higher Education: Past, Present and
Future. In: J. Smart (ed) Higher Education Handbook of Theory and Research. Volume
XII. New York: Agathon Press: 43-106
II. Expansion – Private Education (b)
• Policies
-
Introduction of market elements (marketization) in the education
system
Permissive policy for private providers to enter the market (licensure
procedure)
Substitute funds and / public funding (in the future!)
• Results
– Increase in private education institutions (46 by 2012)
– Profilization of higher education institutions (study programs, professional
colleges).
– Increase in enrollment in private education (23 500 by 2011).
• Consequences
– Few elite HEIs
– Public universities are more selective than private (due to state matura
exam)
– Private might go bankrupt or merge
II. Expansion: Categories of private
HEIs
Private HEIs
Elite
Non-elite
Identity
Demand
absorbing
Elite
For-Profit
Semi-elite
II. Expansion: Improve quality
• Accreditation & quality assurance (new quality
standards & benchmarks)
• Inform the students about the quality of the
supply (Ranking)
• Encourage the establishment of professional
colleges (less restrictive licensing procedure)
• Prepare students of secondary level for the
university (2+2 obligatory state examination)
• Obligatory certificate in English for the masterlevel (law)
• Internationalize the HEIs
Private Education II
• Quality Assurance
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Accreditation Agency
Accreditation Council
Ministry of Education and Science
State Standards of Evaluation and Accreditation
Yearly monitoring / inspection
• Informing students about the quality: Ranking!
– CHE
– Methodology: Multidimensional
– Results
I. Expansion: Improve quality
• Accreditation & quality assurance (new quality
standards & benchmarks)
• Inform the students about the quality of the
supply (Ranking)
• Encourage the establishment of professional
colleges (less restrictive licensing procedure)
• Prepare students of secondary level for the
university (2+2 obligatory state examination)
• Obligatory certificate in English for the masterlevel (law)
• Internationalize the HEIs
II. Curriculum Reform
• Evaluate the implementation of Bologna
Standards
• Follow the Bologna Process: 3-cycle system;
• Competence based learning;
• Flexible learning paths;
• Recognition & mobility (internationalize curricula)
• Adapt/restructure content, structure, teaching
methods and materials;
• Establish joint study programmes;
• Establish links with the labour market (two year
vocational schooling/college).
III. Governance
• Increase the autonomy of universities
• Modernise the capacity, management and governance
of higher education institutions and at the Ministry.
• Management of students’ services
• Build strategic partnerships, international and domestic
relations with the private und state actors etc.
• Ensure the quality of education (QA)
• Promote a quality assurance culture
• Increase accountability (toward government and the
public)
• Ensure equality and transparency in accessing the
higher education
III. Governance: Accountability
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Appointment (government or board)
Representation (internal + external)
Financial accountability (budget)
Differentiated functions between academics
and executives.
• Performance – (reporting + monitoring +
ranking + accreditation)
• Responsiveness toward market needs
IV. Research and Development:
Strategy and Instruments
• Document: National Strategy of Science, Technology and Innovation,
2009
• Integration of the research institutes in the higher education system
• Innovation (applied research)
• Establishment of interdisciplinary centers (Technology Transfer
Centers and Agencies)
• Assist in the development of the local community and businesses
• Set up networks of cooperation with the most important industries
• Share costs with the private sector and attract funds from
international research programs.
• Raise public awareness
• Achieve excellence in the priority areas of development (agro-food
and tourism)