This Tuesday, students are expected to gather at 10:00 outside the Ministry of Education, where they will continue the protest that has gripped the capital for the past two weeks.
Public university lecturers have also joined in support of them, boycotting classes and deciding to stand alongside the students.
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The Trade Union of University Employees of Albania announced a teaching boycott on October 21, saying it would continue until further notice.
Over the past two weeks, the gatherings have been accompanied by tensions, clashes between protesters and law enforcement officers, as well as injuries and arrests.
Police interventions have triggered strong reactions from students, lecturers and civil society representatives, who have called for investigations into alleged cases of excessive use of force.
Meanwhile, students have rejected Prime Minister Edi Rama’s invitations to dialogue, insisting that their demands cannot be resolved through meetings that, according to them, offer no guarantees of concrete change.
The student protests, which have been accompanied by fierce unrest, were not a sudden outburst. They came as a result of long-standing discontent among young people, who had been protesting for some time, but whose voices were not heard through peaceful protests.
Discussions about tuition fees, the quality of teaching and conditions in the dormitories had long been at the center of the complaints, but apparently the government did not think this would erupt into a massive and persistent movement. The first day of the protest began modestly, seemingly as an ordinary gathering.
A small group of students, tired of unfulfilled promises and institutions “turning a deaf ear,” gathered at the Ministry of Education.
With chants and improvised banners, they expressed their indignation. But what began as a lone voice soon found an echo. The news spread quickly on social media, inspiring hundreds of others to join.
Within a few hours, the number of protesters increased significantly, blocking traffic on the main road and “erupting” into protests marked by major unrest. Angered, the students began setting fire to state institutions and banks. Meanwhile, as the gatherings continue, they have not stopped chanting “Rama, resign” for a single moment.
