Guaranteeing the right to attend higher education of vulnerable groups and minorities

Abstract

The right to education is a fundamental right of the person, which is recognized and guaranteed in Albania by international acts and domestic legislation. The right to education is a positive right, which not only must be recognized but it obligates the State to take all measures to enable its realization. However, this right is not an absolute right, which means that the State has the obligation to guarantee the right to education up to the 9-year system, while it is at the discretion of the individual to attend or not the secondary and higher education. The right to access education in the university system can be conditioned by a series of criteria set in laws and bylaws. This paper will analyze the innovations and conditions in the criteria provided by the law “On higher education” and its bylaws regarding university admission of students belonging to vulnerable groups such as minorities by combining the theoretical analysis with the practical implementation of these criteria.