Today, October 5, universities in the country began the new academic year 2026-2027, despite calls for boycotts that were spread on social networks and during the protests of recent days. About 120 thousand students returned to the auditoriums, while about 20 thousand of them sat on university benches for the first time.
allegations
Hints about a possible boycott of universities when the academic year began began circulating among protesters in the last months of the summer.
But there was no official call and organization among the protesters to carry out this boycott.
call
On October 3, when the 126th protest march stopped in front of the Ministry of Education, protesters and students called for a boycott of classes and announced a special protest on October 13, at 2:00 PM, in front of the ministry.
In parallel, there were several publications calling for a boycott.
Dryni at UBT
According to posts published on social networks, on Sunday evening they placed a lock on the entrance to the Agricultural University of Tirana, writing that "you can find the key at the Prime Minister's Office", that is, at the protest.
Meanwhile, on Monday morning the lock had been removed by guards or university staff.
Protest at UAMD
Meanwhile, there was a protest at the "Aleksandër Moisiu" University in Durrës. UAMD had officially announced the opening of the academic year on October 5th at the University Campus, New Building G3.
During the morning, UAMD students protested while awaiting the arrival of Prime Minister Edi Rama.
Police intervened to clear the road where the escort was expected to pass, while transportation and accommodation were cited as major concerns for students attending classes at the Hospital.
October 13
However, calls for boycotts did not appear to translate into widespread disruption of classes.
Students interviewed by Faktoje at several faculties said that the teaching process during the first day continued normally and that there was no organized boycott in the auditoriums.
Thus, October 5 served more as a testing day for student mobilization than as a mass boycott of universities.
Protesters have now shifted their attention to October 13, when they have announced a rally in front of the Ministry of Education. /Taken from faktoje.al
