Boçi against the draft law on AKSHA: Political capture of the education system and violation of EU standards

2026-04-20 15:30:00, Aktualitet CNA

Boçi against the draft law on AKSHA: Political capture of the education

During the discussion in the Committee on Education, Science and Sports on the draft law "On the Establishment of the National Agency for Educational Services (AKSHA)", the chairman of the committee, Luciano Boçi, raised a number of strong concerns, describing the initiative as in direct contradiction with European Union standards.

In the presence of Minister Mirela Kumbaro, Boçi accused of a conflict of interest in the drafting of the draft law, highlighting the minister's institutional ties to a foundation that, according to him, is included in the decision-making structures of the new agency.

"Albanian law on conflict of interest is clear: the conflict is not only personal or family, but also institutional. It cannot happen that a foundation with such connections has key representation on a board where key decisions are made," said Boçi.

He stressed that the draft law directly violates the principle of institutional independence, by centralizing the entire decision-making chain to the minister. According to him, this contradicts EU standards, which require that agencies administering examinations, assessments and diploma recognition be governed by independent boards, elected by the academic community.

"The draft law provides that the directors, the board and key decisions will be controlled by the minister. This is the opposite of the European standard," he stressed.

Boçi also raised concerns about the lack of transparency and accountability. He argued that, unlike EU practices where reports are public and independently audited, the draft law provides for reporting only to the minister, while the audit is carried out by the ministry itself.

Another critical point was the management of educational data. According to Boçi, the draft law gives AKSHA and the ministry full control over sensitive data, contrary to the separation of functions provided for by law and European standards.

He also criticized the involvement of donors in decision-making, calling this a serious deviation from EU practices, as well as the concept of self-financing of the institution, which according to him contradicts the principle that these agencies should not function as profit-making structures.

In conclusion, Boçi warned that the draft law, in its current form, risks turning a key education institution into a politically controlled instrument, undermining trust and standards in the education system./ CNA