Myqerem Tafaj (born November 14, 1957) is an

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

n politician and university professor. He is a member of the

Democratic Party of Albania The Democratic Party of Albania (, PDSH), also known as the Democratic Party (, PD), is a Conservatism, conservative political party in Albania. It has been the largest opposition party in the country since 2013 and has dominated the Albanian ...

and served as Minister of Education and Sciences in the cabinet of

Sali Berisha Sali Berisha (; born 15 October 1944) is an Albanian cardiologist and conservative politician who served as the president of Albania from 1992 to 1997 and as the 32nd Prime Minister of Albania, prime minister of Albania from 2005 to 2013. Berisha ...

. He was also Deputy Prime Minister from 4 April 2013 to 14 September 2013.

Early life and career

Myqerem Tafaj was born in Bulqizë, Albania, on November 14, 1957. In the late 1970s, he moved to

Tirana Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills, with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest ov ...

, where he began agriculture studies at the

Agricultural University of Tirana The Agricultural University of Tirana () is a public university located in Tirana, Albania. It offers education in agronomy, veterinary, forestry, ecology, agribusiness, and similar subjects. History AUT was created in 1951. It was first calle ...

. In 1988, Tafaj received his doctoral degree from the same university. Shortly after his graduation, in 1990, Tafaj was awarded a one-year fellowship from the German Foundation for International Development, which gave him the possibility to continue his research in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Between 1992 and 1995, Tafaj completed his second PhD at the

University of Hohenheim A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

Entry into politics

After he returned to Albania, in 1996, Tafaj became director of sciences at the Ministry of Education of Albania. On 12 March 1997, Tafaj was named the

Minister of Education An education minister (sometimes minister of education) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters. Where known, the government department, ministry, or agency that develops policy and deli ...

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

's placeholder government. Tafaj was appointed Education Minister at the height of the country's 1997 political unrest, which had a disastrous effect on Albania's higher education system. Rioting and looting on the campuses of the

University of Tirana The University of Tirana (, abbreviated UT) is a public university located at the central borough of Tirana 10 in Tirana, Albania. It was established as the State University of Tirana (SUT) in 1957 through merging of five existing institutes ...

and the

resulted in millions of dollars in damage. The universities were closed from March to May, and the

University of Nebraska–Lincoln The University of Nebraska–Lincoln (Nebraska, NU, or UNL) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. Chartered in 1869 by the Nebraska Legislature as part of the M ...

suspended its program in Tirana. During the closures, over four hundred squatters took residence in the dormitories on the campuses. Tafaj served as Minister until June, when elections were held. In 1999, Tafaj was awarded a fellowship from the

Alexander von Humboldt Foundation The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation () is a foundation that promotes international academic cooperation between scientists and scholars from Germany and abroad. Established by the government of the Federal Republic of Germany, it is funded by t ...

, which allowed him to return to Germany and work as a visiting professor at the

. Eventually, in 2005, he returned to Albania to work as a professor at the Agricultural University of Tirana and as a councilor for the Ministry of Education and Sciences. In 2009, Tafaj was appointed as Minister of Education in the cabinet of Prime Minister Sali Berisha.

References

External links

CV

Complete CV (in Albanian)

Interview
(in Albanian) Living people Democratic Party of Albania politicians Government ministers of Albania Education ministers of Albania Members of the Parliament of Albania 1957 births People from Bulqizë Agricultural University of Tirana alumni Academic staff of the Agricultural University of Tirana 21st-century Albanian politicians Politicians from Tirana {{Albania-politician-stub