The New Higher Education Reform and Higher Education Law in the “Social Dimension” Perspective: The Albanian Case

Elona Mehmeti

doi:10.5901/ajis.2015.v4n2s2p284

Abstract

Higher education and research in Albania during these 24 years of democracy seems to be not in the international standards, progress seems to have been somewhat disappointing in the last 14 years of reforms in higher education. Although the number of universities and students enrolled in higher education has grown rapidly, the quality assurance remains an issue. For this reason the government is undertaking a reform that involves higher education which is expected to bring a dramatic change in the structure of the higher education and soon in the outputs. This new approach to higher education brought many debates among the stakeholders of higher education and especially among student’s organizations. In this context this paper focus the analysis in particular of 1. 1) How the social dimension of higher education is perceived in the higher education reform and the new higher education law 2. What are the specific actions undertaken by the government to improve the participation of under-represented groups in higher education. This paper and the study of the higher education reform and law is part of my PhD thesis (which is in progress) which tends to open a discussion on the role that universities , as one of the main stakeholders of higher education, has in the Albanian society. DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2015.v4n2s2p284

Highlights

The Social Dimension is a new concept, which seems to appear in European higher education and it was articulated clearly in the London bologna ministerial meeting in 2007.Having a massive higher education and being aware of the fact that such a mass appeal leads to a greater heterogeneity of students, compared to the level of social, economic, cultural or race background “obligated” the countries to undertake further steps
1) How the social dimension of higher education is perceived in the higher education reform and the new higher education law 2
This paper and the study of the higher education reform and law is part of my PhD thesis which tends to open a discussion on the role that universities, as one of the main stakeholders of higher education, has in the Albanian society

Summary

Introduction

The Social Dimension is a new concept, which seems to appear in European higher education and it was articulated clearly in the London bologna ministerial meeting in 2007. Having a massive higher education and being aware of the fact that such a mass appeal leads to a greater heterogeneity of students, compared to the level of social, economic , cultural or race background “obligated” the countries to undertake further steps. In this context countries that singed the Bologna Agreement agreed that the diversity of students who entered higher education will not be an obstacle for the completion of their studies, countries that have signed the declaration take the commitment to facilitate any economic, social , cultural obstacle for students and assisted them in order to enable the completion of their studies. This short presentation has the purpose in focusing on the Albanian case as a country, which in 2003 signed the Bologna Agreement; it aims to show how the social dimension concept is translated into higher education reforms since 2007 and in the white paper 2014

What is the social dimension?

Student reactions to the reform and the draft of the Higher Education Law

What will be the future?

Findings

Recommendations instead of conclusions