Minister Kumbaro Announces New National Educational Services Agency Under Agreement with AADF

Today, the Ministry of Education and the Albanian-American Development Foundation (AADF) signed a cooperation agreement to modernize assessment systems and establish the National Agency for Educational Services (AKSHA). This new institution will administer national exams and key educational services in line with international standards.
The agreement was signed in Tirana in the presence of Prime Minister Edi Rama; Education Minister Mirela Kumbaro; Michael Granoff, chairman of the AADF board; and experts from Cambridge University Press & Assessment.
According to Minister Kumbaro, the reform aims to transform the educational services system by modernizing processes, increasing transparency, and adapting to the demands of the digital era. She emphasized that the current Educational Services Center provides around 158,000 services annually. However, the expansion of service portfolios and sensitive processes, such as High School Graduation exams, national testing, and regulated professions, require a more advanced, standardized system.
The Educational Services Center reform aims to establish a new institution and fulfill a mission to safeguard the public interest and improve educational services. The minister announced that Parliament approved the law establishing the National Agency for Educational Services two weeks ago, and that the new institution is based on models that guarantee traceability, integrity, and modern standards in the administration of examinations and certifications.
As part of the agreement, experts from the Cambridge Assessment Center will help AKSHA strengthen staff capacity, optimize processes, and invest in technology and logistics. The agreement also includes improving test quality, enhancing data usage, administering examination halls according to international standards, and strengthening security and monitoring systems.
Minister Mirela Kumbaro praised the American American Development Foundation’s (AADF) support for educational reforms in Albania since 2009 through scholarship programs, higher education and scientific research projects, and the establishment of specialized institutions in the field of education.
She also emphasized that Albania recently fulfilled its legal obligations under Chapter 25 on scientific research. Chapters 25 and 26, which focus on education, are among the first negotiation chapters with the European Union expected to be closed.
During the event, plans for AKSHA’s new 3,500-square-meter headquarters, designed to meet international standards for the administration of testing and assessment processes, were also presented.