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Decline in the number of students in Shkodra/ Rector: Dialogue with graduates and field study

2025-05-27 15:40:00, Qyteti im CNA

Decline in the number of students in Shkodra/ Rector: Dialogue with graduates

The decline in the number of students in Albania is increasingly putting Albanian universities at risk of closing those branches that have had a low number of students for years. This risk does not exclude the University of Shkodra "Luigj Gurakuqi", a city where this year there are approximately 1200 fewer high school graduates.

The rector of this university, Tonin Gjuraj, at the Senate meeting asked department heads to go out into the field and appeal to high school graduates to make the University of Shkodra their first choice.

Decline in the number of students in Shkodra/ Rector: Dialogue with graduates

"I ask department heads, faculty heads to appeal to high school graduates to make 'Luigj Gurakuqi' University their first choice. They must use every communication channel, social networks, direct meetings and be more active in the media so that at least high school graduates from the north can come to our University," - Gjuraj.

Decline in the number of students in Shkodra/ Rector: Dialogue with graduates

Another request of Rector Gjuraj is to find the opportunity for students to return to the student treatment facility, asking the dormitory managers to be more present and clearer about the improved conditions offered there.

"We have started an intensive dialogue with the student accommodation company. We need to convince the graduates that the students should return to the dormitory. This company, which has improved the conditions, is an advantage if a graduate who has made his choice at our university can have accommodation options that are more reasonable. I have had communication with the leaders of this company so that they can have a clearer package regarding the conditions, fees and services they offer," said Gjuraj.

Decline in the number of students in Shkodra/ Rector: Dialogue with graduates

On the other hand, local governments, said Rector Gjuraj, have an obligation to partner with the University of Shkodra based on a draft that is being finalized as an obligation also within the framework of EU membership, a cooperation which has not functioned properly so far.

"The municipalities of the Shkodra region should invite our colleagues for expertise, for full studies, for partial studies or something else regarding the territory, urbanization, anthropological studies in tourism, in economics, in Albanology and so on. Local governments, municipalities have the obligation to cooperate with the university, they have the obligation to invite our colleagues to become part of these studies", said Gjuraj.

The Rector of the University of Shkodra, Tonin Gjuraj, is seeking to put all the links in motion and find some new methods, along with changing or improving curricula, so that the crisis of declining student numbers, which has affected higher education everywhere in Albania, can be stopped at this university./CNA