partners - albania programs

MOST SIGNIFICANT CHANGE STORIES
FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY OF UNIVERSITIES IN ALBANIA
Implementing Organization:
Albanian Student Government
“…The participation of students in the board that will monitor and control the management
of funds of the Universities, that are going to be established, should be regulated through
amendments in the new law for the organization of Higher Education”
-request of the Prime Minister at the Meeting of Ministers, held in July 2006, published in
newspaper “Standart”…
Higher education in Albania faces difficult problems concerning new curricula, academic
level, appropriate literatures, infrastructure and poor services offered to the students. These
problems are caused partly bythe insufficient budget of the universities, but are worsened
by the lack of student community participation in the decision-making process, which
creates space for abuse, corruption and inefficient budget management.
With a grant from Partners-Albania/DGA the organization “Albanian Student
Government” (ASG) increased transparency within Albanian Universities and encouraged
the participation of students in the financial decision-making process within University
Administration.
The organization reviewed the current legal framework that regulates Universities in
Albania, and compared it with various Western European countries’ legal frameworks
for financial transparency and participation by students in the financial decision-making
process. The concrete proposals emerging from this process were promoted in an awareness
and lobbying campaign targeting the student community, state institutions and University
representative bodies, the Ministry of Science and Education and Council of Ministry for
Education.
The proposals were introduced in leaflets distributed to students along with posters with
the slogan “I want to know what happens within my University”. Two thousand students
of Tirana University signed the petition supporting the proposal to amend the Albanian
Law on Higher Education.
The ASG published a brochure called “The Manual for Students’ Orientation” about the
proposed changes to the statute and regulations of the University with regard to financial
transparency, participation of student’s in financial decision making, and the expansion
of student’s rights as well as the competencies, authority and obligations of University
decision-making bodies.
The organization worked cooperatively with University and government stakeholders to
ensure acceptance of their proposals. This included meetings with the Ministry of Science
and Education and the Advisor of Prime Minister for Higher Education to introduce them
to the proposals. They worked cooperatively with the deans of different faculties of
Tirana University, who reacted positively to the recommendation to make some changes
Activity Report September 2004 - September 2006 41