THE IMPORTANCE OF UNIVERSITY IN THE PREPARATION OF THE NEW GENERATION OF GEOGRAPHY TEACHERS IN ALBANIA

The education system in Albania, after 1990, has undergone some reforms both in the pre-university and university systems, reforms that were necessary due to the important socio-economic and cultural changes during the transition from the dictatorship to the democratic system. These reforms have affected and changed the role and position of Geography subject in the pre-University as well in the University curricula. These changes have been evident in the changing of numbers of weekly hours, content, perspectives of future development and in some specific topics. This paper aims to analyze the quantity and quality of these changes and to identify their direct impact in the geographic knowledge of the new generation of pupils and students of geography. Frequent changes have also occurred in the recruitment scheme of students at the university, bringing uncertainty and fluctuation of different levels from one year to the next. The involvement and implementation of Bologna system in the Albanian Universities brought many changes in the education curricula, teaching methodology, collaboration with foreign universities, diplomas, etc. From this point of view, considering the main issues faced by our University education system such as: the large number of students in the auditorium; the lack of laboratories; modern libraries; etc., it is important to analyze the importance and the role of the University in the professional formation of new teachers of Geography.