Author: Dallandyshe XHAFERRI
After the theses of the matura exams were released on social networks, the Educational Services Center, through an announcement on the official website, informed the graduates to request a copy of the test of the four exams. Every graduate was offered an online application by June 28, within the time frame 08:00-16:00. However, the date announced to take the first step with complaints on the exam results, coincided with a holiday, the Eid holiday.
“Sinjalizo” was made aware of the lack of transparency in this process by one of the high school graduates who accuses that his results were influenced by the thesis that was leaked shortly before the exams. “ I am not aware of the announcement by the Educational Services Center. No one followed a public procedure to notify us, the dissatisfied ones. I learned about it from a friend, he advised me to complain. Of course I will complain. But applying on a day off for such an important request, such as a copy of the exam thesis, is more of a procedure than a solution to the problem, ” says Anxhelo, a high school graduate at the “Halim Xhelo” high school in Vlora.
Non-official sources for "Sinjalizo" confirmed that the suggestion for graduates was distributed during this Tuesday and the young people's complaints should be made on the e-Albania portal.
Graduates: We copied
"In general, there was cheating, I can even say that good students were abused, because they were constantly asked to show or give answers ," - this is how one of the graduates of the "Shote Galica" school in Fushë Krujë begins the report, who, on condition of anonymity, admits that during the development of the matura exam process, the graduates were helped to cheat even by the responsible administrators themselves.
"In the 3 exams where the administrators were from the area, there was little tolerance and assistance, while in the exam where the administrators were from other districts, in this specific case, Kamza, they were stricter and exerted pressure," he says, admitting that "I have found cases of cheating but that students were not expelled from the exam. The situation passed very easily, as if nothing had happened," the high school graduate concludes, emphasizing that "the administrators were always there, but there were moments of noise that negatively affected the best students and I can say that the weak students received a higher grade than the good students."
Also, the "help" of administrators by allowing high school graduates to cheat has not been lacking in other schools in the country. Ana Doçi, a high school graduate from the "Ibrahim Rugova" school in Kamëz, tells "Sinjalizo" that "in some exams the control was very strict, while in others it was not."
"There was communication between the students ," Doçi admits, adding, " the students had prepared small sheets of paper and took them out while going to the toilet." Meanwhile, Kristo Mjeshtri, a graduate of the "Muhamet Kondi" school in Poliçan, tells "Sinjalizo" that at his school "Phones were categorically not allowed and the control over them was very strict . "
Gevio Tabaku, an activist with "Civic Resistance" tells "Sinjalizo" that from the communications they have made with the high school graduates, it results "that in some cases there have been violations of the regulations, either by the high school graduates or even by the administrators themselves, who help the high school graduates by giving them copies."
Tabaku also adds that according to data provided by "Civic Stability", not all exam centers were under camera monitoring. "In about 30% of exam centers there were no security cameras, which makes the process unfair, as high school graduates should be treated uniformly throughout the country," Tabaku concludes.
But the ministry did not catch anyone with a copy
Despite the claims by the graduates, the Ministry of Education has informed "Sinjalizo" through a response to a request for information that during the Matura exams "no students were caught cheating" and as a result no measures were taken against any graduates. According to official data, this year 3500 educational employees were engaged for each exam, but none of them has been held responsible for publishing theses on the internet while the graduates were taking the exam.
The Ministry of Education tells "Sinjalizo" that none of them are responsible since "in the 2023 State Matura exams, no theses were submitted before the start of the exam ", adding that "MAS in cooperation with the QSHA (Educational Services Center) has taken all security measures from the moment of drafting the theses, their multiplication and distribution under strict security measures, assisted by the Albanian Post and the State Police", the response states.
Meanwhile, Gevio Tabaku reiterates for "Sinjalizo" that " The main problems that have been encountered have mainly to do with the administration of the process, which has left something to be desired ", he says, claiming that "All exams were published on social networks a few minutes after they began, which implies the presence of mobile phones by the graduates themselves or administrators".
Graduates covet majors with many points
For education expert Irsa Ruçi, the publication of the thesis is not as worrying as the State Matura process itself, which she says she considers "an important instrument for closing the 12-year cycle of study, but not necessary to serve as a springboard that encourages the bureaucracy of university entry."
According to Ruçi, graduates are not oriented towards the labor market, while they covet branches that require a high average.
"There are some branches, which, due to the high number of points needed to enter them, seem like "fashionable branches" and for a young person they are seen as the "forbidden apple" that is coveted even more, believing that this is related to finding a job after a few years ", she says, adding that "this is not actually the case, since we do not have a clear study of the labor market, to know how it really works".
For another education expert, Valbona Nathanaili, the average grade should not be different in different branches because "All branches are equally important. A graduate as a teacher is as important as an economist who tomorrow may be at the level of drafting economic policies", she says, while the approval of the Council of Ministers for the removal of the average 8.5 from branches considered "of national priority" has been expected for days.
Exam results, thousands of high school graduates are rated with grades 5 and 6
According to the data made public on the State Matura portal, it appears that 444 graduates failed the Albanian Language and Literature exam this year. The Ministry of Education informs "Sinjalizo" that the exact number of graduates participating in this state exam is 27, in other words, 270 less than the real number of students who should have been present.
From the calculations of "Sinjalizo", based on the grades rounded by QSHA in the Albanian Language and Literature exam, 6 students received the grade 724 and 5. In other words, about 6% of the students participating in the exam were evaluated with passing grades 24,6 and 5.
Meanwhile, 27 high school graduates took part in the foreign language exam, 236 students less than they should have been present. In the foreign language exam, 496 graduates failed, while 384 students received passing grades 5 and 6. In other words, 5857% of them received a not high passing grade.
The largest number of dropouts was recorded in the mathematics exam, in which 1549 graduates failed, while the maximum grade was obtained by 238 students.
In other words, 5,6% of the 27 high school graduates participating in the mathematics exam were graded 500.
Irsa Ruçi, an education expert, tells "Sinjalizo" that the problem does not lie only in the thesis , "the way the thesis is structured and the sterile process that follows it."
" Our children and young people study with textbooks that have logical and spelling deficiencies. They learn with textbooks that are translated and not Albanianized. With textbooks that they feel are foreign and cannot absorb ," says Ruçi, emphasizing that "our textbooks lack a theoretical basis explained in a detailed and understandable way. Therefore, work must start with the textbooks to turn them into a function of knowledge, to continue with control tests," she concludes.
