TIRANA, May 6 – The Albanian-American Development Foundation and the Ministry of Education signed an agreement in Tirana. The agreement focuses on the modernization of assessment systems in the new National Agency for Education Services. It aims to strengthen digital transformation in education and reinforce merit-based principles in the system. The ceremony took place at the Pyramid of Tirana. It also involved cooperation with the University of Cambridge through its assessment expertise.
Attending the ceremony, Prime Minister Edi Rama said the agreement strengthens the role of technology in education services. He linked the reform to the earlier digitalisation of university entrance examinations. A ranking system based on results replaced practices influenced by connections or informal advantage. He said the system faced strong criticism at first. However, he added that the results later proved its effectiveness.
In addition, Rama noted that complaints disappeared after the introduction of the digital system. He said the process relied on data and technology instead of manual intervention. He also underlined that the new agreement places technology at the centre of the Education Services Centre. Furthermore, he said it introduces a standard of excellence comparable to the University of Cambridge.
Regarding service volumes, Rama said higher education services include enrolment, diploma registration, recognition of secondary education, and legalisation procedures. These account for 52,000 services per year. At the same time, state exams and licensing processes account for 18,000 services per year. He also referred to maturity exams, olympiads, basic education tests, and the Programme for International Student Assessment, which account for 88,000 services per year. Overall, the total reaches between 150,000 and 160,000 services annually.
Meanwhile, Rama addressed resistance to the reform. Parts of the administration initially opposed external involvement in education services, he said. Some officials considered it inappropriate. Nevertheless, he added that this resistance has now ended. He described the change as a shift toward “excellence-based management”.
Finally, he referred to the Butrint archaeological site. He said it is undergoing transformation in line with international standards for cultural heritage management.
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