Albania is among first countries in Europe with many students and few teachers

Source: INSTAT

 About 120,000 students are enrolled in high schools in the country. Tusually the secondary school programs serve to prepare students for university or for employment. According to statistics published by Albanian State Statistics (INSTAT) for the academic year 2017-18, the ratio of students for one teacher in high school was 13.8, an indicator that has declined successively for at least the last 5 academic years.

Compared to the region, Albania has the highest ratio of students per teacher and ranks among the first countries in Europe. From Eurostat data, an average of 11.8 students per teacher is calculated for each teacher in the gymnasium, while in Serbia at around 8.3.

Compared to European Union countries, Albania ranks among the top countries with a high ratio of students per teacher. According to data published by Eurostat for EU countries and Instat for Albania, in secondary schools in the country there are 2 more pupils per teacher than in Europe.

In all over the European Union are counted about 1.8 million teachershigh schools. Usually the students in the European Union are attending secondary school studies (gymnasiums) at age of 14-16. Generally, these programs prepare students for undergraduate studies or provide them with valuable employment opportunities.

Source: INSTAT, processed by Monitor

The highest reported pupil per teacher was in the Netherlands, according to data published by Eurostat for each teacher were 17.9 pupils. Then ranked Finland, where according to the data the ratio was 17.2, the United Kingdom, 16.5. While the lowest ratio was in Lithuania, where there were on average 7.7 pupils, Malta with 8.3 pupils per teacher and Luxembourg with 9 pupils per teacher.

Eurostat has explained that the student teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the number of full-time students by the number of teachers who teach in full-time high schools. This ratio should not be confusing with the average classes, as it does not take into account the special classes.

The education sector is reduced by 35% since 1990

The education sector has been reduced by more than 30% since 1990, as in the number of students, teachers and schools. According to official statistics from INSTAT, the number of pupils attending 9-year school program (elementary school) and upper secondary education fell to 43,000 and 700 students in 2018 from 68,000 to 600 students in 1991 or 35% less pupils. The biggest drop was in the 9-year program school, where 260,000 less students were sitting in school banks this year than in 1991. Only in the last two years, the school was attending 46,000 less children.

The drop in the number of students was accompanied by a reduction in the educational troup. In 1991, 43700 teachers were counted across Albania, while at the beginning of this year, their number was 29,000, with 33% shrinking. Also, the number of schools decreased by 35% since 1991. Albania entered the transition period with 2,200 8-year and upper secondary schools this year and 1134 schools. About 150 schools are closed this year, because the number of students is falling terribly in some districts of Albania.

The number of classes is further reduced. Of the 37 thousand classes that were in the early 1990s, there are currently about 11 thousand classes. Their number has been reduced by 70% over 28 years.

According to INSTAT, the drop in the number of students has also led to a drop in the student's teacher ratio.

The Ministry of Education claimed that since 2009 the internal migration of the population from small villages and small towns to larger urban centers, emigration and the decline in the number of births has increased the number of students per class in urban centers.