Education
Progress has been made and initiatives taken by the Albanian Government for improvements in the Education sector. Still, school drop-out and low enrolment rates of marginalized children remain a challenge. For children who go to school, there are concerns over the quality of the education they receive and whether it is relevant to their needs now and in later life. These concerns are particularly acute for children who need extra support to fully participate and benefit from education.
Violence against children continues to be present in schools. Teachers, as well as parents are reluctant to alter the existing culture of disciplining children and there are no regulations on handling incidents of violence as a means of disciplining children used by teachers in the public school system.
Child participation is however increasingly recognized as an important input to changing class-room and school environment to become more child-friendly and inclusive and in many schools. Children’s Government are becoming a recognized partner in school development.
Save the Children in Albania Education Programme works in close cooperation with educational authorities to improve the quality of education and ensure inclusion and the equal rights of all children in the education system. It provides direct support in terms of quality education and socialization for marginalized children with the aim to improve inclusiveness as well as promote child participation and reduce corporal and psychological violence in school. Its main partners in this endeavor are children, parents, teachers and education authorities.
This programme covers 60 schools and 60 kindergartens, in 6 regions of Albania.
Education Programme Components
In-service teacher training
Education is wasted if the quality of teaching and learning is poor and not in response to children’s development. The instruction methods used by teachers should not only help children to stay in school but also engage and encourage them to keep learning, be active in class, progress academically and enjoy schooling.
By acknowledging the importance of teachers’ capacity building and the need to bring changes and improve teaching and learning process Save the Children in Albania has continued to deliver training on child-centered teaching methods and inclusive education to teachers and education specialists in 6 regions of Albania.
New knowledge and skills have enabled teachers to improve the quality of education for children in the targeted schools. Children are now more actively participating in the learning process, classroom climate has positively changed and communication between teachers and children is improving, according to monitoring reports of trained education specialists.
Inclusive Education for children with disabilities in preschool and elementary school
Educations laws and by-laws in Albania, suggest Special Education as a main education alternative for children with disabilities. Mainstream schools are usually unreceptive and sometimes refuse their enrolment. In addition, the regular schools lack qualified teachers and educational aids and infrastructure that can respond to children with disabilities’ education needs. Overall, schools lack capacities to provide inclusive education for children with disabilities (CWD).
The right to education for all children, enshrined in the UN Child Rights Convention and more recently in the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, requires the development of an inclusive education system so that all children can reach their full potential.
Inclusion in education is a process of enabling all children to learn and participate effectively within the mainstream school systems, without segregation.
At the core of Save the Children in Albania Inclusive Education pilot project is the direct support to individual children with disabilities to access and participate in mainstream education where they can learn and develop to their full potential. In addition, support is provided to their teachers, parents and education specialists through capacity building and awareness raising with the aim to ensure quality services.
Inclusion of Roma/Egyptian Children in education
Roma/Egyptian children in Albania continue to suffer exclusion and segregation in school. 54% of Roma/Egyptian children of compulsory school age (6-16) have not completed or enrolled in school. One in about two Roma/Egyptian children of school age has dropped out of school, according to Save the Children in Albania and UNICEF research, 2007.
For Save the Children in Albania the implementation of Roma/Egyptian children’s’ equal right to education has become a priority issue in Albania as well as across the region of South-East Europe.
Save the Children in Albania’s intervention is directed to four schools and four kindergartens in two regions of Albania (Korça and Gjirokastra) where a considerable number of Roma/Egyptian people live.
Through this pilot project, with focus on equity and inclusion, Save the Children in Albania reaches 2,886 children, out of which 581 are Roma/Egyptian. These children receive improved quality education and are increasingly participating in their school’s community. Roma/Egyptian children are enjoying an improved school life and actively participate in most of the educational, cultural and sportive school activities. They have made friendships in schools and are less socially isolated.
Save the Children in Albania support to the pilot schools and kindergartens has been important in effectively engaging local authorities, teachers, parents and children from the Roma/Egyptian community.
Violence against children in schools
The Ministry of Education has made efforts to address the issues of violence against children in schools, but there is still no concerted effort to elimininate harsh disciplinary methods regularly used by school teachers
Save the Children is addressing violence against children in school issues through a pilot project in two schools and two kindergartens in Durres and Elbasan. It aims to reduce all forms of violence against children by awareness-raising of children on their rights to protection from violence, capacity building of teachers and parents on positive disciplining methods, introduction of a violence prevention programme in school curriculum as well as changes in policy and practice at local and national levels.
Reducing Violence for Children in Berat
Violence to children in Albania is widespread in different forms. Some forms of violence are justified by parents, teachers and children themselves as part of the traditional educating children’s culture. Two large scale reports in the country (UNICEF 2006, Save the Children 2007) indicate high figures of physical and psychological violence against children in the family, school settings and social institutions.
Although schools should play an important role in protecting children from violence and abuse, frequently teachers use violent behavior as a mean to drive children to improve performance and exercise their authority to obtain respect for discipline.
Despite Ministry of Education efforts to address and prevent violence, no specific system to record and address incidents of violence has been established at school level so far.
Save the Children in Albania in partnership with the local authorities in Berat, is committed and aims to address the use of physical and psychological violence of children, in school and at home, with the ultimate goal to reduce considerably all forms of violence against children age 3-15. This project will reach directly 1094 children their teachers and parents, in two schools, one kindergarten as well as the related communities. These communities, identified by the Regional Education Authorities as project target, are recognized by the local authorities as the most poor and vulnerable communities in Berat Municipality.
This project, funded by BVLGARI, Italy, is to be implemented by Save the Children in partnership with the Regional Education Authorities and Municipality of Berat. Main project strategy will be to actively involve children, families and all community members in the efforts to reduce the use of violence in schools and at home. Enhancing the professional capacity of teachers, psychologists, Municipality and Regional Education Authorities and awareness raising of the communities aiming to reduce the use of violence towards children will be two other main objectives of this project.
Child Participation
In Albania, children’s views and opinions are still undervalued by adults. This is mainly due to cultural and social perceptions of children as lacking skills and being unable to express valuable ideas. There is also a fear that children may become too independent and disrespectful of adults.
This mentality is reflected in school as well where children are often expected to be passive listeners rather than active participants in class and in school matters.
Save the Children in Albania is addressing child participation issues through its support to 60 Children’s Governments in six regions and is playing a vital role in ensuring that children are given an opportunity to participate in school matters and decisions.
The involvement of children in school matters is bringing new perspectives on problems and hopefully better solutions. It is helping to develop children skills and participation in decision-making on issues that concern them.
Supplements
Children's newspaper supplements, "Children and Youth Speak Out", a joint publication of Save the Children in Albania and Ministry of Education and Science.
- June 2011
- May 2011
- No. 1, 2011
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- Sep 2010
- Jun 2010
- May 2010
- Apr 2010