European, Global and Intercultural Dimension in Curriculum Development

Albania became a full member of the EQF Advisory Group in October 2015, and participation in all main meetings has been regular, demonstrating the country’s commitment to prepare for implementation of the EQF Recommendations.

ETF supports the taskforce of the Albanian Qualifications Framework (AQF) in preparing and carrying out the Albanian EQF referencing process. This cooperation includes advice, analysis and support to stakeholders’ dialogue throughout the EQF referencing process. The referencing roadmap (2016-2017) will include a series of workshops (2-days), starting with a kick-off workshop in Dürres on 8 and 9 September 2016.

Albanian Higher Education Institutions have continued implementation of the ongoing project of Tempus, Erasmus Mundus and Jean Monnet Programmes.

Albania dedicated a special attention to the engagement in the working groups, organisms and EU project to enable the exchange of European best practices and those of EHEA countries in the higher education reform. Such engagements of Albania include the engagement in WG ET303 for Modernization e Higher Education, BFUG. Their participation has re-established the contacts enabling the participation of Albania in Eurostudent VI and the country’s membership in EQAR as a governmental membership.

Partnerships and Network

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.