Egocentrism and accreditation of the University of Tirana

Once, Át Gjergj Fishta wrote that in education, all: people, government and parliament were of one mind and one voice.

But since then, we have been through difficult times as a nation, creating a sense of personal and professional, individual and institutional responsiveness. It seems that we are still in the same reed spur, as mascots do not know who. We break the record, our own, the complaints and the self-destruction in the misery of the many, and above all, of the intellectual courage that can not be handed to the reason of a time, such as that described by Anton Anton Harapi "in the cillen "Honest", ask me to get stuck, and then 'own' for another better time ... "

It seems that this time, in Albania, has gone bankrupt, unfortunately. So, apart from all the surprises that do not surprise us, even the University of Tirana finds itself a victim of itself and the wrong policies against it.

For some time, we have been spotted by the lack of partial, short-term accreditation, and we do not know how many epithets have been attached to this accreditation.

Why is this whole mystery ?! Professors and students receive information from social profiles newspapers. For the first time, no formal letter was sent to us, no copy of the institutional report. While the UT professor has been the most powerful and clearer voice, the most stable and persistent, even for every instruction, project decision, up to draft laws or higher education reform. And the voice of the University of Tirana has witnessed at all times its power as the institution that represents and inspires free and civilized thought.

But what has happened in the meantime? The "Code of Silence" has also involved this time with the University of Tirana. Uncertainty accompanies us even though young people and their families testify to us every day more and more, choosing the first University of Tirana.

The university from which the majority of politicians, lawmakers, scientists, researchers, teachers, doctors and nurses in Albania graduated; today there is a degree that according to the "report" does not apply to the labor market. Maybe all of us should take diplomats ?! Then maybe even a part of the members of the Accreditation Board (some, even members of the reform commission) should do the same.

In a country like ours, the ratio of students to the population is about 58 students per 1000 inhabitants, if we consider. Everyone from the actors has their own contribution that higher education becomes more competitive and more valuable to provide the best for Albanian youth. But the result of this accreditation should disturb each of those who today finds it engaged in higher education institutions regardless of profile. Although state policies have made investment in years for students in higher education to be tens of times lower compared to the average of OECD countries and the EU, many of us, UT graduates, this diploma has enabled us to hold a doctorate in the most prestigious universities in Italy, Germany, France, Finland, Norway, America etc.

But how can the University of Tirana's diploma depreciate when the state exams for regulated professions always have the highest scores of success ?!

It is enough to be interested in Albania's regions, to confirm the intuitive impression that the higher percentage of employed teachers come from the University of Tirana, over 70% of those who hold a university degree. The same is confirmed by public administration data, over 90% of judges are graduates in UT. This is also confirmed by the data of institutions and private enterprises.

It is true that UT may not have regular registers with data of the above nature, but which university can prove more, as long as their academic staffs, especially the professorship with scientific titles, have graduated, obtained doctoral or obtained titles , for the most part, just in the UT.

And there is not much to identify and to reflect this data. Did we get to do this, surpassing megalomania, what time did we get to be at the moment at UT ?! We should have done and even with much responsibility for the 60-year-old university and thousands of 18-year-olds who trust their future to our auditors.

Tirana University has many shortcomings related to misguided state politics, with the often feudal administration of its human and financial resources, with the lack of platforms and strategies that suffers all of Albania's communist and post-communist regurgitation without reform vision. However, our University can not be the last in rank after this so-called institutional accreditation, until it has supported staff, curricula, programs and much more every HEI set up in Albania. Will we ever escape from the psychosis of dictatorship for destroying the opponent? Otherwise, the day of self-destruction will come.

And, of course, the UT students and professors will not accept that the diploma is written: "Accredited for only one year!" The assembly of pedagogues, student councils, the UT Senate should meet urgently and speak with one voice only because the academic authorities have been voted and mandated to protect the interests of our university, the interests of our students. Every special name is incalculable!

Because we are the university that targets what the young people are aiming for, going far beyond themselves. This is what the history of this university has shown. Today is confirmed. As St. Augustine said: "Whenever people complain that they live bad times, it is enough to choose to live in honesty and the times become good!"