FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
From north to south, from first to twelfth grade... 368 lekë per day is spent on behalf of every student in the country. Including the salaries of teachers, sanitation workers, expenses for books, stationery in the classrooms and everything else that affects teaching... 45.7 billion lekë was made available for about 1,300 schools and high schools in the country this year.
In other words, for each of the approximately 345,000 enrolled in education, 132,511 lek are available per year or 11,042 lek per month. This figure is less than in Kosovo and 8 times lower than in European Union countries.
"We have discussed many times the need for education spending to increase and focus on students. Compared to neighboring countries and European standards, the current budget does not fully cover the needs for quality education. Every student should have equal opportunities to learn and develop their potential, without being limited by a lack of financial resources," Mirela Karabina, former technical minister of Education, told A2 CNN.
Albania spends much more on a prisoner than on a student in the country's schools. The daily cost for each prisoner, which includes expenses for food, security, training of police staff or health and social services, is estimated at 3,400 lekë, while for pre-trial detainees it is 2,800 lekë. These costs are 7 to 9 times higher than those for students.
"If we want our students to compete with their peers in the region and Europe, investment should focus not only on infrastructure, but also on teacher training and improving curricula. Without a higher and well-managed budget, it will be difficult to rise to the level of European standards," Qemal Çejku, an expert on the pre-university system, told A2 CNN.
Despite the increase, the budget for education this year is less than 2.4 percent of the Gross Domestic Product, which is projected to reach over 2.6 trillion lek by 2025.
"When spending on education is less than 2.4% of GDP, we cannot expect the quality of schools and teaching to change significantly. This not only places Albania at the bottom of the region, but also leaves our children with limited opportunities to benefit from education. Increasing investment is not a luxury, it is a necessity to ensure a better future for the country," Çejku added.
And this is one of the reasons for the massive departures from the country. Attention must be turned quickly and forcefully to the peripheral areas, experts say. This is to ease the "bill" of leaving the country at least a little.
"Many families are seeing emigration as the only solution to provide their children with an education and a better life. This is a wake-up call for policymakers. Priority should be given to investments in peripheral and rural areas, where the shortages are greatest. If we do not increase funding and improve school conditions, we will continue to lose not only students, but also the future of the country," stressed former Minister Karabina.
Albania is the country with the lowest level of education expenditure in relation to Gross Domestic Product in the region.... with less than 2.4 percent. Kosovo leads with 4.6 percent of Gross Domestic Product, followed by Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. ( A2 Television )
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