Roundtable on Draft Law on Education

MJAFT

24 October 2006

MJAFT Movement organized a roundtable discussion on October 19, with participation of deans and rectors of public universities, to discuss the problematic issues that universities are recently facing, one of which is the issue of the draft Law on Education.

�The role of the universities is very substantial to remain indifferent�. The executive director of MJAFT further explained that the reason why this movement organized this roundtable as a reaction to what he called �general tendency to have a centralized control over our institutions on the part of the government including the institution of education�, said Erion Veliaj from MJAFT.

Besjan Pesha (MJAFT) pointed out some of the drawbacks as he was commenting on the recently compiled draft law that according to him constitutes a serious problem.

�Although the school autonomy seems expanded, in real terms it is limited by the Higher Education Institutions. We think that everything would function better if the decision making was a prerogative of the universities� said Pesha and demanded the increase by 30% of the students participation in the election process of the leading organs.

Shezai Rrokaj, the Chancellor of University of Tirana, shared the same ideas but he additionally mentioned other drawbacks in this draft law. Regarding the vacancies criteria in the academic sector, an issue that was also tackled by MJAFT as well.

�These criteria should be defined by the academic staff and not by the Council of the Ministers�, Rrokaj said.

Velesin Peculi, the Chancellor of the Agricultural University of Tirana, appreciated the draft law proposed by the government but added that �...less intervention by the more powerful the universities become�. He also spoke about the financial autonomy of the universities and stress that it is very limited too.

Perparim Hoxha, the Chancellor of the Polytechnic university of Tirana, Kastriot Caushi, the Chancellor of the Academy of Fine Arts, and others also mentioned other drawbacks of the draft law as they appreciated the initiative of MJAFT Movement to discuss in this roundtable along with the other groups of interest.