Albania has the lowest quality in Europe and Asia, poor education will hold two generations hostage

Albania ranks among the countries with the lowest quality of higher education in the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region, according to the World Bank's latest report "Greater Heights, Growing to High Income in Europe and Central Asia".

If educational quality does not improve, Albania and the countries of the ECA region will not cross the upper-middle income threshold for even two generations, the Bank announces.

As can be seen in the graph below, Albania ranked at the lowest level of quality in Higher Education both in relation to the ECA Region and the rest of the world. The Bank notes that education fosters talent, which then guarantees prosperity.

In the ECA region, which includes Albania, the probability of children being more educated than their parents has decreased. However, one positive point is that the likelihood of children pursuing higher education, even if their parents did not, has increased.

The World Bank advises that primary and secondary education should provide basic skills, while higher education institutions should produce innovators, thus strengthening creative forces.

The quality of primary and secondary education, as measured by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) scores for 15-year-olds, has been declining, a trend that began before the Covid-19 pandemic and has been exacerbated by it. Over the past decade, PISA mathematics scores in the ECA region, which includes Albania, have fallen by the equivalent of a full year of schooling.

The Bank considers that one of the most pressing issues in the region is the effectiveness of vocational education and training. Almost 45% of secondary and higher education students in the region, and up to 80% in some countries, are directed towards vocational education from the beginning of their school careers. In Albania, vocational education is attended by only 17% of students.

But while vocational education programs are often promoted as a valuable path to improving employability, they often fail to equip students with the skills needed to succeed in a rapidly changing job market. 

The situation is even more dire in universities. The quality of higher education is lower than expected. In countries like Albania, a diploma is more important than acquiring knowledge or skills.

Given that individuals with higher education are more likely to become innovators, the poor quality of university education poses an existential risk to the region's long-term growth prospects.

In the Times Higher Education world university rankings, only one university from the region is among the top 100, and only nine universities are ranked among the top 500. Albania is not included in any of these rankings, further worsening the country's position.

The World Bank notes that some of the main causes of low quality higher education include: 

First, academic capture (when universities prioritize political or vested interests over academic excellence), insufficient funding, outdated curricula, lack of modern infrastructure, and the over-proliferation of higher education institutions.

Secondly, talent is not developed solely through the education system. Societies that fail to employ talented individuals miss out on the opportunity to create a productive population, especially among women, who in the ECA region are typically better educated than men.

Without urgent action to halt the decline in the quality of education, especially in higher education, and to improve the distribution of talent in the labor market, middle-income countries (MICs) in the region will not be able to achieve high-income status within a generation or two.

The Bank advises the authorities in Albania to encourage and consider policies that improve:

• Strengthening basic skills to halt the decline in the quality of secondary education.

• Restructuring the vocational education and training (VET) system, raising the age of selection for this educational path and strengthening links with industry to ensure the development of necessary skills.

• Maintaining equal access to higher education, but implementing merit-based policies to promote successful graduation.

• Merging research centers with universities and strengthening links between universities and industry to foster innovation.

• Consolidation of universities to use resources more effectively and improve their management.

• Facilitating the wider participation of women in the labor market.

Taken from Monitor