Roma enrolment in vocational school fell by two thirds in a single year

A study commissioned by Roma Versitas Albania and funded by the European Union under RARE II finds a 64% one-year collapse in Roma vocational enrolment — and no public monitoring data to explain it.

Three students taking notes during a session of the school financed by the Council of Europe
School session implemented by Roma Versitas Albania with Council of Europe support.

The study, by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ersida Teliti of the Faculty of Law at the University of Tirana, surveyed 98 students and 108 parents and public officials in May 2025, triangulating their responses against administrative data and three freedom-of-information requests.

Roma vocational enrolment fell from 251 students to 91 between 2023–24 and 2024–25. Seventy per cent of students report having felt discriminated against at school. Sixty-one per cent have never received career counselling, a service mandated by Albanian law.

Fifty-two per cent still aspire to higher education. Aspiration is not the missing ingredient — structured support is.