The 3.8 billion lek increase in the higher education budget for 2027, presented to the Education Commission, has failed to convince the leaders of public universities. In a climate of tensions and protests near the Ministry of Education, rectors said the focus should not remain on figures on paper, but on academic staff salaries and the real conditions at universities.
Budget session held without the opposition in the room
The discussion on the higher education draft budget was held in the Education Commission, but without the presence of the opposition, even though rectors of the country’s public universities had been invited to the meeting.
The lack of political representation in a debate on university funding was also noted by the rectors. Fatbardh Sallaku, rector of the Agricultural University of Tirana, described a hall “cut in half” as problematic, stressing that education should not be treated as an issue divided into political camps.
Budget increase not seen as a sufficient solution
According to the projections presented in the commission, next year’s budget for higher education will increase by 3.8 billion lek. However, university leaders said this addition is not enough either for infrastructure or for addressing the motivation crisis among academic staff.
The main concern they raised was the level of salaries for lecturers, which they described as insufficient and far from the standards that should guarantee the normal functioning of public universities.
Rectors: salaries have become the main problem
Agron Kasa, rector of the Sports University of Tirana, called on the government and Parliament to review their approach to higher education in the draft budget, placing emphasis on pay in public universities. According to him, the motivation of academic staff has become the main obstacle to carrying out their duties.
Along the same lines, Erald Bakalli, rector of the University of the Arts, said the demand for a pay rise had already been raised earlier and that this time it is expected to be treated as a priority, with the aim of setting a different pay standard for 2027.
Fatbardh Sallaku also raised the issue of inequality in the treatment of university leaders, arguing that it is not normal for rectors with very different staff workloads to be paid the same.
The majority speaks of reform and legal changes
On the side of the majority, the need to reform higher education and review the legal framework was acknowledged. According to the version presented in the commission, funding should be more closely linked to performance and the profiling of universities.
Ogerta Manastirliu said the time has come to review the higher education law, stressing that financial assessment should be made on the basis of performance. However, it remains to be seen whether this position will be accompanied by concrete funds for salaries and not only by another package of promises for reform.
Beyond the increase announced on paper, the message from public universities is clear: without more dignified salaries and real investment, the 2027 draft budget will hardly be seen as a turning point for higher education.
The debate opened in the commission also showed another long-standing problem: when universities are discussed, politics appears divided, while the system’s basic demands continue to be pushed from one budget to the next.