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The risk of illiteracy/ Albania is fifth with the lowest enrollment rate in primary school

2024-11-22 07:48:00, Aktualitet CNA

The risk of illiteracy/ Albania is fifth with the lowest enrollment rate in

November 22, the Day of the Alphabet of the Albanian Language, is an official holiday.

"November 22 represents the greatest unifying moment of the Albanians who are scattered in almost all the countries of the Balkans, are represented in all the monotheistic religions, but what has united them and continues to unite them is the language and the fact that in the Congress of the Monastery chose to write and identify themselves in this beautiful and holy language with the Latin alphabet", said the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs at the beginning of 2024, when it was proposed that this date to become an official holiday.

116 years after the Alphabet Congress, which was an academic conference in the city of Monastir, which today is known as the "Congress of Monastir", Albania is taking steps behind, risking the increase of illiteracy in the country.

Data from the World Bank show that not only is the number of people enrolled in primary schools falling significantly, but it is also among the lowest in Europe.

In 2023, the Gross Primary School Enrollment Rate in Albania dropped to 93.7%, from 105.4% in 2017, marking a sharp decline following the pandemic.

This means that those enrolled in primary school (regardless of age) were almost 94% of the 6-12 year old population. This is the lowest level on record since 1976, when the World Bank reports the data. According to the World Bank definition, “The gross enrollment ratio is the ratio of all those registered, regardless of age, to the population of the age group that officially corresponds to the indicated level of education.

Primary education provides children with the basic skills of reading, writing and mathematics together with a basic understanding of subjects such as history, geography, natural sciences, social sciences, art and music".

The indicator has not only fallen relative to itself, but it is already the fifth lowest in Europe. Romania has the lowest level of gross enrollment in primary education in Europe (84.9), followed by Bosnia-Herzegovina (87.2), Ukraine (92.8), Malta (93.5).

Education is the basis of development of any nation. The more educated, the more chances a country's economy has to grow, advance in terms of technology and innovations, improving the well-being of its citizens and guaranteeing sustainable development for generations.

The deterioration of this indicator, according to experts, is related to several statistical and behavioral factors. First, the emigration of families that have children in compulsory education as well as those of secondary education age, while they continue to appear in civil status registers. Meanwhile, a greater deterioration of schooling indicators is observed, not only in secondary education, but also in compulsory education, for girls.

The data show that there is a risk of increasing the number of young people who have not even completed compulsory education, which will lower the average level of education in the country. This could lead to an increase in the number of illiterates in the country, especially the low-income and poor, as well as widening the education gap between urban and non-urban areas.

Not only enrollment in primary schools that provide basic training has fallen, but also the quality of teaching has fallen, as shown by the latest results of the international Pisa test, where Albania had the highest decline in the world./ Monitor Magazine