"Get out of my office!"/ A miracle happens at the Faculty of Tirana, the winners of doctorates are announced without names and without points

2024-01-12 21:30:00, Denoncim CNA

"Get out of my office!"/ A miracle happens at the Faculty of Tirana,

In the Faculty of Technical Medical Sciences, 4 quotas have been opened for doctoral students and according to one candidate, the process has not been transparent at all. When he submitted the documents, the candidate in question was not given the articles and scientific conferences he participated in by the protocol employee. In the denunciation of the investigative show "Stop" on TV Klan, the candidate says that when the winners were announced, their names were not announced, nor were the evaluation points for each one.

Whistleblower: I finished my studies for "Bachelor" and "Master of Science" at the Faculty of Technical Medical Sciences, Tirana University of Medicine. Currently, for 4 years I have been working as an internal lecturer at a private higher education institution in Albania. I applied for the third cycle of "PhD" studies at the Faculty of Technical Medical Sciences, Tirana University of Medicine. The application deadline was November 24, 2023. During the submission of the documents for completing the application for candidacy, I submitted all the documents and came the part of the submission of scientific articles and conferences. At that moment, the girl who works as part of the protocol told me that "there is no need because you have documented them in your CV". I waited for the preliminary exit of the PhD candidates. We made the presentation of the project, we left and 2-3 days later the preliminary answers of the winners for the third cycle of "PhD" studies came out. I was ranked third with 2.32 points difference from second place, I see that in the preliminary ranking, the winners were ranked by ID card, by ID number, not by first and last name. Also, I notice in the evaluation factor "Conferences and scientific articles" I was evaluated with 0 points with the claim that I did not submit them. I submitted the complaint letter and documents of scientific articles and conferences. 2 notarized conferences and photocopied scientific articles.

Journalist: So they didn't accept you in the final?

Whistleblower: He was not accepted in the final.

Journalist: Did the final lists come out?

Whistleblower: The final lists came out, the answer was the same as the preliminary lists.

Reporter: Do you know who won it?

Whistleblower: The process here is irregular, starting with the submission of winners without name and father and surname.

Journalist: You didn't know how you would be evaluated if you had 5 years in the state or 5 years in the private sector?

Complainant: None of the factors for which the file was evaluated, there was no regulation on how these factors will be evaluated.

Journalist: And you suspect that maybe people won who didn't deserve it?

Whistleblower: Absolutely.

The whistleblower meets the head of the AD-HOC commission, Enkeleda Sinaj, who says that the process was transparent, despite the non-declaration of points.

Enkeleda Sinaj, the chairperson of the commission: The commission treated you all equally.

Complainant: I need a VKM, which should have been made official regarding how the file is marked, we didn't have it. You tell me the commission knew, I didn't. So an article within the country so many points, an article abroad so many points, a conference so many points, 2 years of work so many points, 5 years of work so many points, 10 years of work, that's what I'm asking you about. Is there a written regulation?

Enkeleda Sinaj, the chairperson of the commission: The entire evaluation tab is determined, approved by the AD-HOC commission, that's why it is the commission.

The whistleblower: I mean, he defines it at the moment?

Enkeleda Sinaj, the chairman of the commission: Yes, at the moment!

Whistleblower: Without the applicant's knowledge?

Enkeleda Sinaj, the head of the commission: Please, all the things that have been lined up, we issued instruction 5, it was issued by the institution, not the Rectorate, and all of them were taken into consideration. Please, there was no more transparent, where to go.

When he asked for more explanations, Sinai took the interested party out of the office.

Whistleblower: Is there a written instruction for the ID card and is there a written instruction for scoring the file?

Enkeleda Sinaj, the chairman of the commission: Now, please!

Whistleblower: Can I have it photocopied? I'll take it with me!

Enkeleda Sinaj, the head of the commission: Please! I finished talking to you.

Reporter: Yes or no?

Enkeleda Sinaj, the head of the commission: Hey, get out of my office, please!

For this situation, the show "Stop" on TV Klan addressed the former deputy minister Nora Malaj, drafter of the law on higher education. Malaj says that there is no reason to keep the names of candidates and winners secret. She says that the publication of criteria and scores should be mandatory so that the process does not become dirty.

Reporter: Could it be that in the preliminary and final results, we will have the winning names given with ID and then the final names disappear? Is this a transparent way?

Nora Malaj: When we talk about doctorates, which are the highest level of studies in terms of scientific research, when we consider that the quotas are limited, transparency is the key word. If he decides to accept it with an ID that is mandatory, to have the name as well, and I think there is no reason why not to have the name, at the end of the list of winners the name should be attached so that there is no misunderstanding. A regulation should be created, so that I, you or the other, know how we are going to race, know what the conditions are that we are going to race, what the points are going to be and based on that, everyone is very calm in the results they have in the file they have prepared. We talk about the highest level and we want the highest transparency, if this does not exist, then the process itself without the will of individuals who may have the kindness, who may have academic freedom, make it dirty by not putting the detail to the end for the whole process./ Tv Klan