European, Global and Intercultural Dimension in Curriculum Development

Albania is committed to its effective participation in the European integration process, to make higher education part of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and scientific research, part of the European Research Area (ERA), through the improvement of policies, institutional frameworks and quality standards in education. In this regard, internationalization has been a priority on the agendas of Albanian universities. An important aspect arising from investment in the field of internationalization is the development of students' skills to compete in a global market. It should be noted that the internationalization process has resulted in cooperation agreements between Albanian universities with those of EU countries, through mobility programs and exchange of academic experiences, culminating in the design of joint degree or dual degree programs, where 12 such have been implemented in the last year alone. Meanwhile, Law No. 80/2015 dated 22.07.2015 “On Higher Education and Scientific Research” and other sub-legal acts in its implementation have aimed to create a legal framework guaranteeing a comprehensive higher education system that meets international standards of quality, academic integrity and transparency, promoting the social and economic development of the country. At the sector level, higher education institutions in partnership with the government, business and the entire society aim to be key factors for development. The continuous changes that have occurred after the 2015 reform have shown that the development of higher education has been present throughout the years. Thus, the OECD report “Competitiveness Outlook 2024” provides one of the most comprehensive assessments of economic reforms in the region, referring to 15 policy dimensions (areas) in the 6 Western Balkan countries (6WB).
One of the elements of the quality of higher education institutions is internationalization and interaction with the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and the European Research Area (ERA). Currently, in terms of internationalization, HEIs in Albania, in addition to bilateral cooperation agreements, are also using programs such as Erasmus, CEEPUS, Fulbright, etc. The legislation in force on the recognition and equivalence of degrees and scientific titles is an opportunity to increase academic mobility and further strengthen the international dimension of higher education.
Joint and/or double degree programs and diplomas remain very good opportunities for the internationalization and increase of the quality of higher education in Albania, in the face of the economic and demographic globalization that is affecting all countries. Many of the Albanian HEIs, public and private, have already started to offer such diplomas.

Partnerships and Networks

Albania receives financial assistance from the EU via IPA (Instrument for pre-Accession). IPA II provides budget support to help implement the Employment and Skills Strategy and Action Plan 2020. The related Sector Reform Contract contributes to the development and implementation of the AQF; performance indicators are formulated as follows:

End 2016, assessment by Q2 2017, revised AQF Law is adopted.

End 2017, assessment by Q2 2018, secondary legislation to implement the revised AQF Law is adopted, including the ones on Sector Skills Committees.                                                

End 2018, assessment by Q2 2018, have more 20 VET courses based on new/revised and quality assured qualifications, compared to the baseline year (87 qualifications in 2014).

Albania has also adopted the RIGA 2015 conclusions on a new set of medium-term deliverables in the field of VET for the period 2015-2020 (Riga is a follow-up of the Bruges process). MTD 3 is related to the NQF: Enhance access to VET and qualifications for all through more flexible and permeable systems, notably by offering efficient and integrated guidance services and making available validation of non-formal and informal learning.