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Albanian agriculture and the need for secondary specialists in this sector

2023-12-28 20:40:12, Aktualitet CNA

The professional agricultural school "Ndre Mjeda", in Bushat of the municipality "Vau Dejës", was created a few years ago as a merger of two well-known professional schools of Shkodra, the veterinary school and the mechanical-agricultural school.

The school is located between two important agricultural areas, that of Zadrima and Nënshkodra, which, according to the director Zyhdi Kapedani, is a good opportunity for future agricultural technicians.

"It is the only agricultural school in the northern region where four years are studied in the fields of agriculture, food technology and veterinary medicine. This school was built in 2012 with the cooperation of the Albanian government with the European Union and students from the northern part of Albania come and study here", he says.

Despite the contemporary conditions, says director Ruzhdi Kapedani, the school needs to be supported more with laboratories and with a wider base of teaching practices.

In recent years, the agricultural sector is facing a shortage of labor force due to the high level of emigration of young people.

This, according to the director Kapedani, has also affected the low number of students in agricultural vocational schools, where the capacities are more than double the number of students who attend these schools.

"This school has about 120 students. We had more, but this year we have this number. The capacities of this school are very large as it can handle up to 350 students. Near here, we also have the dormitory that serves the school, which can accommodate up to 150 students", he says.

The situation is almost the same in all secondary agricultural schools in Albania. Thus, in the agricultural school of Cërrik, one of the best in the country, 123 students were enrolled this year, while the school's capacity is for 350 students.

The professor of the Agricultural University in Tirana, Zef Gjeta, says that even 30 years after the change of the system, the greatest weight in the agricultural sector continues to be held by old specialists, this is due to the lack of interest of young people to work in agriculture .

"We have lost our battle with secondary specialists, especially in agriculture. We currently have 9 agricultural schools with 700 students in total. So less than 100 students in four years. So the number is very limited which is not promising. Of course, the government's initiative to support vocational schools, including agricultural schools, helps in this direction, but an awakening of the national consciousness is needed to master agriculture".

Professor Gjeta says that during 30 years agriculture has received less than 1% of the state budget, while it has contributed from 20 to 56 percent to the national income. This also explains the lack of involvement of young people in the agricultural sector, which, according to him, has created a gap, which is becoming more and more visible with the retirement of old specialists./ VOA