According to INSTAT, during the 2020-2021 school year, a total of 96 005 students were able to graduate in our country – a number that is 2.2% lower than the previous year.

This decline in the number of graduates in our country has been noticed at the primary school level as well as the secondary and post-secondary levels, but the highest drop was registered at the primary school level.

During 2020-2021, a total of 32 179 students finished their primary school level successfully – a number marking a 4.3% decline compared to the previous year.

When it comes to the university degrees chosen by students, the most popular were Business, Administration, and Law, which represent ¼ of all student graduates.

The second most popular degrees amongst Albanian male students in 2021 were Engineering, Production, and Construction. 18.9% of male graduates chose these fields of study.

Meanwhile, amongst female graduates, the second most popular degree was ‘Health and Wellness’ with 18.3% of the total graduates.

The deputy president of the Independent Education Union, Isa Halilaj, confirmed that in Elbasan, there are 600 fewer students than last year.

During an interview for Euronews Albania, Halilaj said that the decline in the number of students finishing school is concerning especially in rural areas.

Halilaj said that amongst the main reasons for this decline is emigration due to poor living conditions at home, followed by a lower birth rate and school dropouts.

“Around 5 000 students dropped out of school according to the World Banks, mainly from the Roma and Egyptian communities,” – he said.

The main issue, according to Halilaj, remains to be the quality of education. Parents are forced to leave their villages or even bigger cities, in order to find better conditions abroad.