Over the past decade, more than 350 public schools have been closed across Albania, Kosovo, and North Macedonia, in territories largely populated by Albanians. This wave of closures is not merely an education statistic—it is a warning sign of a shrinking and aging population, the mass departure of young families, and the inability or unwillingness of political leaders to safeguard the social and economic future of these regions.
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Official data paints a grim picture. In Albania, 295 public schools were shut down between 2012 and 2022. In Kosovo, roughly 40 schools closed between 2013 and 2023. In North Macedonia, the number of closures ranges from 30 to 44. Together, these closures represent more than just empty classrooms—they represent communities losing their future.
Demographic Decline Accelerates
The root causes are stark and interconnected. Birth rates in all three countries have been falling for years, often dropping below replacement level. Meanwhile, emigration to Western Europe has reached historic highs, driven by the search for better wages, more secure jobs, and higher quality public services. Rural areas—traditionally the heart of Albanian family life—are being emptied at alarming rates, leaving behind aging populations and shuttered institutions.
In Albania, this decline has warped the balance between teachers and students, with some rural schools employing seven teachers for just three pupils. In Kosovo, certain schools operate with fewer than 10 students, and sometimes fewer than five. The secondary school population in Kosovo fell from 65,757 in 2023/2024 to 63,551 in 2024/2025—a loss of more than 2,000 students in a single year.
In North Macedonia, the shift is so pronounced that Education Minister Vesna Janevska has suggested turning abandoned schools into senior centers—an idea that, while practical for an aging community, symbolically concedes defeat in the fight to keep young people in these areas.
Political Neglect and Mismanagement
While demographic forces are powerful, the scale of the crisis is also a product of political failure. Governments across the three states have shown little coherent strategy for retaining their young populations or incentivizing them to stay in rural and small-town communities.
Economic development has been uneven and short-term, often focused on urban centers while neglecting peripheral regions. Investments in infrastructure, modernized education, and local job creation have lagged behind promises. Corruption and nepotism have eroded public trust, while emigration policies in destination countries have been met with silence or resignation rather than proactive countermeasures.
Instead of implementing robust rural revitalization programs—such as tax incentives for young families, subsidies for agricultural entrepreneurship, or digital infrastructure to attract remote workers—politicians have often treated depopulation as an inevitable process, not a challenge to be confronted.
A Vanishing Workforce
The implications extend far beyond education. The school closures are a visible symptom of a weakening workforce that will affect everything from healthcare staffing to private enterprise. As young, educated Albanians leave in large numbers, the labor market is hollowing out, leaving behind a smaller, older, and less economically dynamic population.
If this trend continues unchecked, the affected regions risk entering a cycle of irreversible decline: fewer children mean fewer schools, fewer schools mean less incentive for families to remain, and shrinking populations make local economies less viable.
A Call for Urgent Action
Reversing these trends will require more than speeches and symbolic measures. It demands long-term, well-funded policies to support family growth, incentivize local business creation, and improve living standards outside of the capitals. Without a radical shift in strategy, the closures of today’s schools could become tomorrow’s closures of entire villages.
The story of these 350 shuttered schools is not just about classrooms—it is about the fate of Albanian communities in the Balkans, and whether their political leaders have the vision and courage to prevent their disappearance.