VOA analysis: Unemployment and lack of meritocracy, main concerns of students in Albania and Kosovo

Youth organizations from Albania and Kosovo emphasized today that unemployment and lack of meritocracy in both countries has reduced the quality of university studies and pushes them to emigrate to other countries.

Today, these organizations held the National Student Congress in Tirana, where the concerns of young people in the two countries were discussed in detail.

Dozens of young people from Albania and Kosovo met today in Tirana at the National Student Congress, where they discussed among themselves, together with pedagogues and experts of higher education.

They spoke with concern about the neglect they suffer from politics and state institutions and the public authorities not listening to their opinions.

One of the organizers of the National Student Congress, Migen Qiraxhi, says that among the main concerns of young students are the non-involvement of young people in decision-making, as well as the lack of meritocracy, which pushes them towards emigration.

"According to Transparency International, corruption in Albania is at very high levels. This also shows that we are dealing with a lack of meritocracy, which damages more the community of students and young professionals, who cannot find space in workplaces. They can't even find space in the market, because the market is composed of corrupt tenders, clientelism and corruption of government officials. The market does not demand quality, because it does not compete with quality, and young people flee to other countries, where knowledge, meritocracy and professional skills are respected", said Mr. Qiraxhi.

Youth migration remains a major concern in both countries, keynote speakers at the gathering pointed out.

The activist Rron Gjinovci says that on both sides of the border officials talk about growth in economic figures, but few talk about youth and its education.

"I think that the biggest challenge of young people in Kosovo and Albania, especially in Kosovo, is unemployment. One in two young people in Kosovo is unemployed. 45 percent of young people up to the age of 25 are unemployed. This creates problems in several aspects in society, starting from the simplest economic problem, which prevents young people from living independently", said Mr. Gjinovci.

Another main concern, in addition to the lack of community organization, is the low level of academic teaching, the speakers emphasized. The computer science student, Ilir Kiçmari, emphasizes that the main concern of the youth in Kosovo is the increase in the quality of education, where the University of Pristina alone has at least 40 thousand students.

"The biggest concern of students in Kosovo is the low quality of higher education. Students want more quality. So that when they finish their studies, they have opportunities for employment in the labor market, as well as the opportunity to continue their studies abroad, to become part of academic life and help in the education of generations", said Kiçmari, representative of the organization Iniciativa Rinore. for Novation 68.

The National Congress of Students was also closely followed by lecturers from several faculties.

Academician Artan Fuga called on young people from Albania and Kosovo to insist on the demands for new educational policies in both countries.

"By new policy, I mean competences, rights, duties, involvement in decision-making, value system that should be better distributed among the actors that make up the university world. The student should be put at the center of decision-making", said Professor Fuga.

Youth emigration to EU countries has been a dominant phenomenon in the Western Balkan region for several years.

Recent surveys show a high willingness of young people to leave for education, employment and a better life in other countries due to, as they say, poverty, unemployment and lack of perspective in their country./VOA