The scandal of dubious diplomas: How accusations of plagiarism at the highest levels were "buried"

By  Vincent Yusui van Gerven Oei

In October 2018, Taulant Muka, a young Dutch-educated epidemiologist, came to public attention after denouncing several senior members of the Socialist Party (SP) government for plagiarism. Among them were former Deputy Minister of Education Ervin Demo, SP MP Blerina Gjylameti, former Minister of Health Ogerta Manastirliu (temporarily rumored as a candidate for mayor of Tirana), former Minister of Defense Mimi Kodheli, SP MP and important figure Taulant Balla, as well as former director of the National Agency for the Information Society (AKSHI) Miranda Karçanaj (arrested for corruption), and former LSI leader Monika Kryemadhi (accused of corruption).

In all cases, Muka presented concrete evidence of plagiarism, including direct comparisons between the officials’ doctoral theses and dissertations and the copied materials. For example, Balla received his doctorate in 2015 with the maximum grade “summa cum laude” from the University of Iași in Romania, after copying extensive parts of Andrea Renda’s study “Policy-Making in the EU: Achievements, Challenges, and Proposals for Reform” for the Center for European Policy Studies in Brussels, in his thesis “The Reform of Decision-Making System in the European Union”.

The case was investigated by the university and forwarded to the Ministry of Education, but then “disappeared.” Of all these cases, only Demo – today the State Minister for Local Government – ​​ended up leaving his post, being transferred as mayor of Berat.

In response, Prime Minister Edi Rama offered Muka the position of Deputy Minister of Education, replacing Demos. His appointment was seen as a common tactic, still used, to include government critics in formal positions to appease them and soften criticism. But just two weeks later, Muka resigned, citing “ethical, moral and professional reasons, as well as incompatibility with the work model at the Ministry of Education.”

Despite his successful career, which has taken him from Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam to pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk, the Institute for Preventive Medicine in Bern and the Center for Preventive Research at Stanford, Muka remains a prominent critic of the Albanian education system and academic standards. He agreed to speak about his engagement with Albania and how he sees the future of science and academia.

How did the concern about the quality of education and then about the academic credentials of politicians begin?

I was a medical student in Albania and have been protesting for the quality of education ever since. At that time I had no experience abroad and the internet was not like it is today. When I went to the Netherlands for my master's, doctorate and postdoctorate, I understood the problem more and more. There I realized that to become a professor you need publications, scientific research, grants and innovation. These things were missing and still are missing in Albania.

It all started with a TV show where I explained how to become a professor. I jokingly said, “What if I make my grandmother a professor?” And I tested some magazines where even a person without a higher education could publish articles. Some of them accepted.

This showed that even people without basic education could meet the “criteria” for a professor in Albania. Then I started investigating the cases of officials and found numerous plagiarisms. This showed that the problem was much bigger.

Muka explains that he was invited to the government as a deputy minister to “stop criticism from abroad,” but left after two weeks, as he saw no functional structure and no will for real reforms. He describes an administration that lacked procedures, transparency, and where the focus was on social media and public image, not on reforms.

He also criticizes the academic system, political interference in universities, corruption in higher education, and the lack of meritocracy. According to him, Albania has a system that produces diplomas without real quality and encourages young people to leave the country.

Muka warns that artificial intelligence will worsen the situation, as it will increase the number of diplomas, but not the quality of scientific research.

He says that the current system is oriented more towards political employment than scientific development, and that research funds are often administered by people without scientific qualifications.

According to him, mass emigration, lack of standards and political propaganda are severely damaging the education system and the country's development./  The Albanian Mechanism