Author: Ina Allkanjari
In the draft budget of the Ministry of Education for 2023, support for public universities is expected to be carried out through the increase of teachers' salaries, the internationalization of higher education and the support of students. The Ministry of Education declares for "Sinjalizo" that for this reason an increase in the budget by 1 billion 136 million ALL is foreseen. But do these revenues reflect the real needs of the universities and how sufficient is the fund foreseen for the following year to fulfill them. If you look at the map of university spending, according to a Citizen Attitude monitor, it is clear that the money spent on universities so far has been used for office equipment, rewards, per diems and very little to increase quality and scientific research. The Ministry of Education, for its part, does not provide details on how it categorizes the funds for the next year, divided according to the relevant items.
"For 2023, funds in the amount of 11 billion and 230 million ALL are planned, i.e. an additional 1 billion and 136 million, or 11.1% more than in 2022. Of which 612.2 million ALL are grant funds for current expenses, as well as 524 are funds in the capital expenditure group. The funds approved for the year 2023 reach 25.2% of the funds approved for MAS, to the extent of 1.79% to public expenditures, as well as to the extent of 0.57% to GDP", explains the Ministry of Education.
Earlier, the Minister of Finance and Economy, Delina Ibrahimaj, had announced an increase in the budget for education, planned at the level of 47.2 billion lek for the entire education system. So 2.2 billion ALL more than the revised 2022 budget.
"Education will continue to be financed with 3% of GDP during the period 2023-2025, where we offer more budgetary support to University Education, within the Pact for the University, as well as the process of Internationalization of Public Higher Education", promises Minister Ibrahimaj.
Students also pay for professors' salaries
Asked if the income from the state budget is sufficient to reflect the fulfillment of real needs in public universities in the country, the president of the Union of University Employees of Albania, Prof. Asc.Dr. Sandër Kovaçi says for 'Sinjalizo' that the increase in the budget does not meet the needs to make a radical turn to increase the quality of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
"Despite the claimed increases, the fund for Higher Education does not exceed 0.6-0.7% of GDP. For 2023, the Science Fund is planned to be about 9 million USD, which is still about 0.05% of GDP, almost 10 times less in percentage than North Macedonia (0.4% of GDP) or 16 times less than Serbia (0.75% of GDP)", says Kovaçi as he emphasizes that from this amount about 4 million USD are paid in the form of quotas in Brussels for projects like Horizon, or other costs.
The President of SPUSH declares that the demands of the Union have been that in the future the investment for scientific research should reach the level of 0.3% of GDP. According to him, this year should start with 30 million USD for scientific research, and within 3-4 years it should reach the value of 50-60 million USD.
"The union thinks that the budgeting of Higher Education should go to the level of 1% of GDP, of which 0.3% should be given to scientific research. In conclusion, there is nothing to be excited about in this budget except sadness for the very low level of funding for Education as a whole, for higher education and for scientific research in particular." says professor Sandër Kovaçi.
Meanwhile, the education expert, Irsa Ruci insists to 'Sinjalizo' that the state budget for education is ridiculous and negligible every year in relation to the "obligation" that the state has towards science.
"In my opinion, this is also a consequence of the low professional level of human resources covering the field of education, who do not guide the appropriate educational policies. In this form, they cannot create the necessary budget and justification for good organization of funds", says the education expert for "Sinjalizo".
"A student needs a quality education, but in order to make this possible, the teacher should not be paid the same hourly rate as the cleaning worker. Because the lecturer will definitely reflect the need for "survival" even in the auditorium, and in the quality of teaching. says the expert.
Focusing on the importance of scientific research, Ruçi says that the state should be an important factor in bringing funds to the public university.
The same opinion is shared by the economy expert, Klodian Muço.
"We have been talking about quality education for years, but what kind of quality education can you have when you spend only 0.0025% of GDP on scientific research. In universities in Albania, more is spent on defense than on scientific research. On the other hand, they demand that publications be made recently for the lecturers, but what scientific research will the lecturers do with the ridiculous salaries they receive". Muço declared.
The economic expert makes a comparison with the neighboring country, stressing that in Albania some 7.4% of the budget is spent on education, while in Kosovo 14% of the budget goes to education.
Focusing again on the budget, Arlind Qori, activist of the Movement for the University, at the same time a lecturer at the University of Tirana, tells 'Sinjalizo' that according to him, the budget of the Ministry of Education cannot even cover the salaries of the lecturers. "As a lecturer, I receive 12 salaries per year, of which about 8-9 are paid by the state and 3-4 monthly salaries are paid by the students through fees. This is the most scandalous thing, that the state budget can't even afford the teachers' salaries".
MAS budget for 2021 and 2022
In the framework of the 2022 fund, the Ministry of Education declares to 'Sinjalizo' that the financing of the activity of public HEIs for this year with the source of funding from the state budget is in the amount of 10.8 billion ALL.
"The approved funds in the form of "grant for teaching" for 2022 are in the amount of 9.6 billion ALL, which includes funds for covering the expenses of the "Grant for teaching" personnel, in the amount of 7.85 billion ALL, funds for financial scholarships for students 1 billion and 50 million ALL financial support for student societies 250 million ALL, as well as grand funds for institutional accreditation and ASCAL study programs in the amount of 15 million ALL per year. answers MAS.
While focusing on the student support funds, which have been used to cover the expenses for scholarships for students from the social strata in need as well as for excellence students in public HEIs, MAS writes that this fund gives the opportunity to about 12 students to pursue studies in public institutions of higher education.
"The grant funds from the state budget approved for 2022 together with the funds inherited from 2021, together with the revenues reached 13 billion 581.8 million ALL, or 27.4% of MAS funds, as well as 2.13% of public expenditures and 0.73% to GDP, of the funds of 2022". writes the Ministry of Education, in its response, while emphasizing that the realization of grant funds for 2021, together with the grand funds inherited from 2020, as well as the revenues of public HEIs were in the amount of 11 billion and 403 million ALL.
Bonuses for students
Student facilities are another point that, according to the education expert, Irsa Ruçi, the state should intervene to provide assistance not only for the basic needs of life, but up to the provision of socialization and entertainment.
"The state should cover funding for distinguished students and for those who do not have the conditions to afford student life, but have the will to study and become professionals worthy of themselves and the country". says Ruçi.
Regarding this issue, the Ministry of Education writes that "Funds for financial scholarships for students, financial support for student societies for the year 2023-2025 is estimated at 1.4 to 1.5 billion ALL per year". Further, MAS emphasizes that for the year 2022, the funds to cover student expenses for student accommodation in eight "Student Treatment Societies in Tirana and in the District" are estimated at 250 million lek per year, underlining that the beneficiaries are about 6 000 -7 000 students who are accommodated in these societies.
Income from public universities
The Ministry of Education tells 'Sinjalizo' that it is predicted that for 2023 the grant funds coming from the state budget, together with the anticipated revenues from public HEIs, will reach 14 billion and 180 million ALL. "In this framework, the approved funds for 2023 reach 29.8% of the funds for MAS, at the rate of 2.06% of public expenditures, as well as at the rate of 0.72% of GDP". writes MAS.
But the president of SPUSH, Sandër Kovaçi, considers the decision that public universities cover the 8% increase in teachers' salaries from their income to be inappropriate.
"Billing the increase of 8% of lecturers' salaries to the income of universities will bring further misery to the latter, in terms of investments or the creation of teaching conditions for lecturers and learning for students". Kovaci insists.
In the framework of the income generated by the universities and their transparency, the Civic Center published in November, the monitoring report of six public universities with a focus on investments for the period September 1, 2021 - August 31, 2022.
Some of the main findings of this monitoring consist in the fact that: UPT continues to be the University with the most administrative expenses, where in 1 calendar year, in addition to basic salaries, it spent 378 euros on bonuses, 281 euros on per diems, 124 euros on telephone/internet; The six public universities spent 000 eruos for office furniture; 21 universities spent a total of 156 euros for the guards of their buildings for one academic year; The University of Tirana for the third year in a row spends 1 lek for the voice of scientific research. Meanwhile, 366 out of 843 universities have spent a total of 6 euros on scientific research, out of 2 million euros in total investment.
