After Butrint and the historical centers, the Albanian-American Development Foundation (AADF) is extending its influence into the heart of the Albanian education system. A new bill filed in the Assembly envisages the merger of the Educational Services Center (QSHA) and the creation of the National Agency for Educational Services (AKSHA), a structure that is de jure called state-owned, but de facto bears the "seal" and control of the AADF.
In the explanatory report accompanying the initiative, the Albanian government makes an unprecedented self-criticism, admitting that the current system is mired in bureaucracy and incompetence. The official document explicitly states:
"This bill was drafted in collaboration with the Albanian-American Development Foundation (AADF)..."
This sentence is the "key" that proves that the Albanian state has had neither the vision nor the capacity to reform itself, delegating this task to a private foundation. The report admits that the processes of diploma recognition have become a nightmare for students and that the evaluation of exams to date has had a total lack of rigor and standards.
The most alarming innovation for critics is the composition of the new Agency's Steering Council. According to the draft law, this board will include not only state officials, but also "representatives of strategic partners/donors."
This means that AADF, as the main partner that has funded Cambridge Assessment's expertise, will have a seat at the table where it is decided for:
1. State Matura Theses: The fate of thousands of high school graduates every year.
2. State Exams: Licensing of doctors, nurses and teachers.
3. Fees: How much will each Albanian pay to obtain a certificate or take an exam.
AKSHA will not function as a state office, but as a corporation. It will be self-financing, meaning it will live off the money it collects from students and professionals through fees.
Furthermore, the staff of this agency is removed from the "claws" of the civil servant law. Hiring will be done under the Labor Code, giving the executive director - who will be under pressure from the board of which AADF is a member - absolute power to set salaries and appointments, away from the eye of classical state control.
With the transition of services to a fully digital format funded and monitored by foreign partners, the question that arises is: Where will the sensitive data of thousands of Albanian students and professionals end up? Is this a necessary modernization, or a surrender of educational sovereignty in exchange for a few donated laptops and servers?
While the government boasts of the "Cambridge" standard, it remains to be seen whether this "rebranding" will truly eradicate the thesis leak scandals, or simply shift their control from state offices to the offices of a foundation that is taking over every key segment of public life in Albania.
The government admits: The current system is a "hostage" of bureaucracy
For the first time, in the official document, the government admits that the current structure of the QSHA has failed in several key points:
"Deadly" delays for students: The report acknowledges that the process of recognizing diplomas takes an interminable amount of time, harming students, especially international students, due to bureaucratic barriers.
Exam errors: The document reveals old scandals where automatic evaluation failed because administrators provided incorrect answer sheets or variants that did not match.
Lack of standard: It is acknowledged that the questions of the State Matura and professional license exams have not undergone rigorous scientific (psychometric) control, questioning the authenticity of meritocracy.
