The Auditor General, Vlora Spanca, has stated that during the audit of the financial statements of the Ministry of Education for 2024, irregularities were identified in the process of subsidizing school textbooks. According to her, the State Audit Office (ZKA) identified over €60,000 that was given as subsidies to citizens who had applied without meeting the criteria for their children.

At a press conference on Wednesday, she said that for the 2025-2026 school year, they have discussed with the Ministry of Education (MASHT) and taken verification steps, obliging schools to first verify which students are actually attending school.

“There, we presented the shortcomings regarding issues related to the subsidization of textbooks. The ZKA identified that over €60,000 was given as a subsidy or applied for by citizens who did not meet the criteria for their children to receive textbook subsidies. This happened due to poor controls by the Ministry of Education in cooperation with the Agency for Information Society, which developed this application. Also, there were a number of citizens who applied, with a total value of €70,000. We cannot say that they did not meet the criteria, but it was impossible for us to verify which school they applied for. Our staff has discussed this with the Minister, and as far as we have information for this season, MASHT has already taken steps in cooperation with local authorities, obliging schools in the municipalities to first verify which students are attending school,” she said.

Vlora Spanca made these statements today at a press conference where the results of the 2024 Annual Audit Report were presented.