Interview with Migen Qiraxhi, Project Manager at Qëndresa Qytetare, July 17
In Albania, where higher education is often portrayed as a bridge to opportunity and European integration, the reality on the ground tells a darker story. Behind university gates, corruption, nepotism, and political interference have quietly hollowed out institutions that should be shaping the country’s future. Students know the system is broken, yet most remain silent, convinced that reporting abuse is futile.
To better understand this crisis, Vilson Blloshmi, sat down with Migen Qiraxhi, civic activist and Project Manager at Qëndresa Qytetare. Qiraxhi has spent years exposing the hidden practices that undermine academic integrity, from bribery and plagiarism to the misuse of student fees and the grip of politics over universities.
In this interview, Qiraxhi offers a stark account of how corruption has become entrenched in Albanian higher education, why accountability mechanisms fail, and what this means for students and society at large. His testimony is not just about universities — it is about the kind of Albania that will emerge if education continues to be a laboratory of lost hope rather than a driver of progress.
“If corruption defines the classroom today, it may well define the country tomorrow.”
Interviewer: How would you describe the current state of higher education in Albania?
Migen Qiraxhi: I would describe it as a system quietly collapsing under the weight of corruption, nepotism, and institutional indifference. What we see is not an overnight crisis but the result of years of neglect. Universities have formal structures in place — committees and bodies that are supposed to safeguard ethics and uphold academic standards — but these exist mostly in name. In reality, they are inactive and ineffective. Inside the universities, the prevailing culture is one of silence and fear, heavily influenced by political power structures. Abuse of authority has become normalized, and instead of being rewarded, integrity is often punished. This creates an environment where genuine merit is stifled, and students quickly learn that fairness is the exception, not the rule.
Interviewer: What about accountability mechanisms, such as Ethics Committees or complaint offices?
Qiraxhi: On paper, these mechanisms exist and sound impressive, but in practice, they rarely function. I recall my own student years: in one department, a professor, her daughter, and her son-in-law were all teaching. Each was responsible for two courses, which meant that one family controlled six grades every semester. In such a closed circle of influence, how can students feel safe to report irregularities? Nepotism is not a rare exception in our universities; it is embedded in the system itself. The committees are often staffed by individuals who are themselves beneficiaries of favoritism, so expecting them to act impartially is naïve. For students, this means living with the knowledge that the “system” is designed to protect insiders, not whistleblowers.
Interviewer: What about anti-corruption policies from the government — do they cover universities?
Qiraxhi: Unfortunately, no. The higher education sector has been consistently excluded from serious government-level anti-corruption initiatives. Our organization has reached out to the Ministry of Justice on multiple occasions. We have submitted reports, raised concerns, and even formally proposed appointing anti-corruption coordinators specifically for universities. These coordinators could have provided a direct, trustworthy channel for reporting cases of bribery, favoritism, or violations of academic integrity. Instead of support, our proposals were ignored. The result is that universities remain without a dedicated officer or mechanism to deal with corruption. This leaves students and faculty with no clear path to seek justice, effectively ensuring impunity for those who engage in unethical practices.
Interviewer: Universities often publish codes of ethics. Do these help?
Qiraxhi: At first glance, codes of ethics look good. They are carefully written and serve well as formal documents during accreditation processes. However, in reality they are purely symbolic. No professor in Albania has ever been expelled, suspended, or even meaningfully sanctioned by an Ethics Committee. These committees do not operate as watchdogs; they are created to check boxes for accreditation, to please international evaluators, and to secure funding. But when it comes to addressing actual cases of misconduct — plagiarism, bribery, or harassment — they remain silent. The disconnect between what is written in the codes and what happens in practice deepens the sense of cynicism among both students and staff.
Interviewer: Is there training on ethics for lecturers or students?
Qiraxhi: Unfortunately, no systematic training exists. There is a widespread and dangerous assumption that holding a PhD automatically guarantees integrity. This is a misconception. In fact, violations of ethics occur across all academic levels, from assistants to senior professors. Without structured training, many do not even recognize certain behaviors as violations. What is worse, even when colleagues are aware of corrupt practices, they choose silence out of fear or complicity. Reports only emerge when scandals spill into the public domain and can no longer be ignored. Preventive training, regular workshops, and open discussion about integrity could have been powerful tools — but they are completely missing from the Albanian higher education landscape.
Interviewer: Do students see corruption as a problem?
Qiraxhi: Absolutely, students are very aware of it. Our surveys show that 73% of them acknowledge corruption as a serious problem, yet fewer than 1% ever report it. The reason is simple: corruption is essentially a transaction between two parties. One side receives a grade or academic favor, while the other receives money or some other benefit. When both sides profit, there is no incentive for reporting. Even in cases where professors were arrested for bribery, many returned to their teaching positions soon after, sending a devastating signal that the system protects abusers rather than punishes them. Students quickly internalize the message that honesty does not pay, and many lose hope that their efforts will ever matter.
Interviewer: What are the most common forms of corruption?
Qiraxhi: The forms are varied but all deeply harmful. The most widespread is straightforward payment for grades. Another common practice is the obligation to buy the professor’s textbooks, regardless of their quality or relevance, often at inflated prices. More disturbingly, there are cases where sexual favors are demanded in exchange for passing a course. Corruption is not limited to professors: in some instances, university administrations misuse student fees for luxury expenses, as seen in the scandal at the Agricultural University of Tirana. Despite the exposure of such cases, no real consequences followed. The lack of accountability means these practices persist and even thrive.
Interviewer: How much influence does politics have in universities?
Qiraxhi: Politics has an enormous influence, more than is often acknowledged. Even rector elections have been tainted by the involvement of criminal gangs. Higher education is treated as a political resource — a reservoir of jobs, influence, and loyalty networks. Political parties see universities not as centers of knowledge and independent thought, but as institutions to be controlled. This control ensures that universities never become spaces for critical thinking or opposition. An independent university could generate alternative ideas and challenge the status quo, which is precisely why it is seen as a threat. The politicization of universities has hollowed out their autonomy and transformed them into instruments of power.
Interviewer: Has plagiarism been addressed?
Qiraxhi: Only superficially. The government once promised a full-scale verification of academic titles and the creation of a public online portal for dissertations. In practice, only 12 professors agreed to participate. The majority prefer to keep their dissertations hidden from scrutiny. Some faculties have purchased plagiarism-detection software, but its use is inconsistent and selective. Most departments do not apply it at all. As a result, plagiarism spreads unchecked, from bachelor theses all the way to doctoral dissertations. In many cases, academic promotions are based on plagiarized work, yet no sanctions are applied. This erodes the value of academic degrees and undermines the credibility of Albanian scholarship both domestically and abroad.
Interviewer: If you were to list the biggest wounds of higher education, what would they be?
Qiraxhi:
- Financial mismanagement — Student tuition fees are misused for non-academic purposes, transparency is nonexistent, and even official audits produce no consequences.
- Disconnection from the labor market — Universities produce graduates in fields where there is no demand, leaving many young people unemployed or forced to emigrate.
- Lack of academic integrity — Plagiarism and grade-buying are common and go unpunished, creating a culture where cheating is normalized.
- Exclusion of qualified academics — Nepotism systematically sidelines Albanian scholars with foreign degrees, pushing them out of the system.
- Poor infrastructure — Universities lack modern campuses, rely on decaying buildings, and offer virtually no student life, reducing education to classroom hours only.
Each of these problems feeds into the others, creating a cycle of decline.
Interviewer: What is your conclusion after so many years of advocacy?
Qiraxhi: My conclusion is sobering. Universities should be spaces of learning, research, and equal opportunity, but in Albania they have become laboratories of lost hope. Corruption and institutional indifference have replaced meritocracy and fairness. Students quickly learn that grades are not earned through hard work but bought with money or favors. Honest lecturers are marginalized, while abusers are shielded by the system. This undermines not just the quality of education, but the very belief of young people in their future. Unless we see deep, genuine, and most importantly — truly implemented — reforms, we are not building knowledge or active citizenship. Instead, we are reproducing injustice, silence, and mediocrity. And a society that allows this cycle to continue risks losing not only its academic potential but also its hope for sustainable development and democracy.
This interview is published in the framework of the project ” Coalition for Clean universities: enhancing integrity in Albanian tertiary education “, implemented by the Albanian Institute for International Studies (AIIS) and financed with a sub-grant awarded in the context of the project “Civil society against Corruption – from a Local Challenge to a European Response” funded by the European Union.
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