Albanian academics abroad support protests: Government failures have brought about this crisis

More than 120 Albanian academics and researchers who carry out their professional activities at universities and research institutions abroad have expressed public support for the civic protests taking place in Albania.

Through a joint statement, they consider the civic movement as a reflection of a dissatisfaction accumulated over years with the way of governance and the functioning of state institutions. According to them, the demands for more transparency, accountability and justice stem from a long-standing crisis of trust between citizens and the state.

Academics argue that the protests should not be seen as an isolated reaction to recent developments, but as a result of ongoing political and institutional problems that have undermined trust in justice, public administration, and the possibilities for building a future in Albania.

In their statement, special attention is paid to the state of higher education, science and innovation, areas that they say have been left out of national development priorities for years. They underline that underfunding, lack of meritocracy, weakening academic standards and the influence of clientelistic interests have damaged the country's development potential.

According to the signatories, the quality of education and scientific research is directly linked to strengthening democracy, economic development, and building functional institutions. For this reason, they consider the degradation of these sectors as a symptom of the broader crisis the country is experiencing.

Expressing their willingness to contribute their expertise and experience, they emphasize that a sustainable transformation of the country requires not only political changes, but also deep institutional reforms that place the public interest, education, science, and innovation at the center.

According to them, building a more functional and competitive Albania involves breaking away from practices that have hindered development for years and through the creation of institutions that value knowledge, professionalism, and merit.

Statement:

We, a group of Albanian academics abroad, express our full support and solidarity with the peaceful citizen protests in Albania and their legitimate demands for a new Albania, governed with accountability, transparency and justice, with institutions that serve the citizens, not the government. We believe that many of the challenges Albania faces today are the result of repeated political and institutional failures, which for many years have weakened citizens' trust in the state, in justice and in the opportunity to build a future in their country.

For this reason, today's protests are not simply a reaction to a momentary situation, but an expression of a deep social fatigue with governance models that have not acted in the interest of the common good. We also see this crisis through the state of education, science and innovation in Albania.

The policies pursued over the decades have not placed these sectors and human capital at the center of the country's development. On the contrary, they have tolerated underfunding, lack of meritocracy, weakening of academic integrity, clientelistic connections and the lack of a long-term vision for knowledge as a national interest. Without quality education, without serious scientific research, without innovation and without meritocracy, there can be no sustainable development, competitive economy or strong democratic institutions.

A society cannot move forward by undervaluing knowledge, weakening universities, alienating young people, and treating skills, competence, and honest work as secondary values. For this reason, the state of education, science, and innovation is not a sectoral issue, but a direct indicator of the failure of the current governance model. The lack of sustainable funding, political interference, fragile university autonomy, poor standards, and the lack of connection to economic development are part of the same crisis that citizens are rightly protesting in the streets today.

Albania has been losing a significant portion of its young people and qualified professionals for years. To change this reality, the belief that knowledge, work and merit are valued and create real opportunities for the future must be restored. As Albanian academics and researchers abroad, we express our willingness to contribute with expertise and experience to a future where a new Albania builds serious institutions in the service of the public interest and gives education, science and innovation the place they deserve.

But this contribution cannot be separated from the need for profound political and institutional change, rightly demanded today by protesting citizens who demonstrate every day that a new Albania is possible. The future of Albania cannot be built without knowledge. A country that does not value education, science, innovation and its human capital weakens itself. A new Albania requires not only political change, but also a clear break from the long-standing failures that have kept the country from its potential.