History of the Albanian system of education: Echoing the secret workings of national life

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis paper reflects an effort to consider the history of Albanian education within the context of the country’s history. In it, the origin and evolution of Albanian education are described in connection with the country’s social and political standing. It is divided into sections, each corresponding to a major historical period in the formation of the Albanian state and intertwined with major reforms in education: education during the Albanian National Renaissance (1830s–1912); education after the Declaration of Independence (1912–1928); education under King Zog (1930s); the 1946 education reform; the 1960s reform, which involved reorganising the system of education for long-term success; and education after the decline of communism in the 1990s and beyond. The paper chronicles how the dawn of the educational system, its organisation and its curriculum were designed to prepare “period-specific” citizens. It is concluded that the roots of the Albanian national education system took hold during the Albanian Renaissance as a necessity of national survival and that the system’s development through time is intertwined with the country’s constitutional standing, echoing the secret workings of national life.