The student protest outside the Ministry of Education has entered a more tense phase, with clashes on the ground and an increased police presence near the building. Footage and reports from the scene indicate that the situation intensified as the crowd grew with participants from several universities and high schools.
Large gathering outside the ministry
Students from the University of Medicine, UBT, the Polytechnic University, the Faculty of Law and other educational institutions gathered outside the Ministry of Education. Police were also positioned in the area, while the protest took on a more confrontational pace.
According to information reported from the scene, pyrotechnic items were also thrown toward the building, increasing tensions outside the institution.
Tensions also at the Faculty of Natural Sciences
The situation was not limited only to the ministry building. Tensions were also recorded at the Faculty of Natural Sciences, where some protesters broke the main door.
Afterward, some of them entered the faculty’s interior premises, shifting the confrontation inside university spaces as well.
High school students join the protest
High school students from the “Partizani” school also joined the movement, expanding participation beyond the universities. The presence of young people from pre-university education shows that the discontent is taking on a broader reach than an isolated student reaction.
Boycott in Elbasan, normality in other cities
At the University of Elbasan, a boycott of classes has begun as a sign of solidarity with the protest in Tirana. This is, so far, the most visible reaction outside the capital.
Meanwhile, in Durrës, Shkodër, Vlorë and Gjirokastër, classes are continuing normally and no similar developments to those in Tirana have been reported.
The defining image of the day remains that of a protest that has hardened outside the Ministry of Education and that, at least in some locations, has moved beyond the bounds of a symbolic gathering.
It remains to be seen whether the institutions will give a public response to the tensions and to the way the situation is being managed on the ground.