The leader of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, has congratulated students and teachers on the start of the new school year, but has also raised a number of concerns. In a post on Facebook, the leader of the Democrats says that Albania is facing a demographic crisis, while emphasizing that in one year there are 5900 fewer students. Berisha says that the number of students has fallen from 146,962 to 141,089, a contraction of about 4%, while, according to him, "in the European Union the decline was only 0.2%. So, Albania is losing its children at a much faster rate than Europe".
Full reaction:
Dear students, teachers and parents, First of all, my warmest congratulations to all Albanian students, teachers and parents on this special day for them and for the entire nation.
A special, heartfelt congratulations to the little girls and boys who are sitting at school desks for the first time today. I wish that this new school year will be a good year for them and full of success, knowledge and beautiful dreams. But, dear friends, the new school year 2026–2027 finds Albania facing a major demographic and educational alarm.
In just one year, Albania has lost about 5,900 primary school students. Their number has fallen from 146,962 to 141,089, a contraction of about 4%, while in the European Union the decline was only 0.2%. So, Albania is losing its children at a much faster rate than Europe. This is the result of a policy that has failed to stop depopulation, emigration and the departure of Albanian families. Albania is emptying, but the narco-government that is the cause of the emptying is only happy with this!
