KOALICIONI PER ARSIMIMIN E FEMIJEVE NE SHQIPERI

ALBANIAN COALITION FOR CHILDREN’S EDUCATION

Tirane, 25.04 2006

PRESS STATEMENT

“EVERY CHILD NEEDS A QUALIFIED TEACHER”

The Global Campaign for Education, April 24- 30, 2006

This year, all around the World, including Albania, the Global Action Week “Education for All” is taking placefrom April 24 – 30 2006under the motto “Every Child Needs a Teacher”. In Albania the campaign is organised under the motto “A Qualified Teacher for each Child”. During this week the organizations that work for education of the children and syndicates of teachers from all around the World ask from governments and politicians “Every Child Needs a Teacher”.

Although during 2006 the state budget for education was increased, the funds are not used to fight child labour and street children, child dropouts, education of girls, improving the infrastructure of the schools, especially in rural area, improving the quality of teaching and teachers.

Education is a basic right of each child, which helps every individual of the society to be developed and to overcome the poverty. For this purpose 10 Non-Governmental Organizations : The Children’s Human Rights Centre in Albania (CRCA), Information and Research Centre for Children’s Rights in Albania – IRCCRA, World Vision Albania, Save the Children, The Alliance of Children in Albania (ACA), The Center for the Protection of Children with Disabilities, Christian Children Fund (CCF), SOS The Villages of Children in Albania, Plan Albania and Trade Unions of Education of Albania (FSASH and SPASH) together appeal to Parliament of Albania, Albanian Government and President of Republic, and to all politicians to pay more attention to the education of children in Albania, to have qualified teachers in order to eliminate the dropouts and to enhance the quality of teaching in the pre-university education.

The aim of the Campaign in Albania is to sensitize the Albanian Government, politicians and thepublic opinion on the problem of the low quality of teaching in Albanian schools, the lack of qualifications of teachers, dropouts andsocial exclusion of childrenfrom education.

The Albanian Coalition for Children’s Education during all the Global Action week and the days after will organize the following activities:

-Preparation and presentation of Information Dossier “Albania and Children’s Education” with data and recommendation for situation of pre- university education;

-Preparation, publication and distribution of poster “Every child needs a teacher”;

-Visiting schools by MP’s. The Coalition will invite all members of Albanian Parliament to visit during the Global Action week a school with compulsory education.

-Organize a Public Hearing with Parliamentary Commission for Education and Media;

-Organize of a national workshop to discuss the problems of education of children in Albania;

The Children’s Human Centre of Albania (CRCA), Information and Research Centre for Children’s Rights in Albania – IRCCRA and the Children’s Senate of the Municipality of Tirana will organize an open discussion for students of 9th class and secondary schools about the aims and activities of the global campaign. In these forums will be discussed about the rights of the children to have a good education and a qualified teacher. Children will discuss about teachers of their schools and about their vision for a qualified teacher, or an ideal teacher. In the School Dhora Leka in Tirana, the Children’s Club of CRCA and The Albanian Children’s Alliance (ACA) in Tirana will prepare an exhibition with works of children under the theme: “An Ideal Teacher”, which will be displayed for the community, children and teachers in this area.

The Albanian Children’s Alliance (ACA) will have its activities in four regions: In April 28, in Shkodër, will be developed the Forum “The treatment of Roma and Egyptian children in public schools”. The forum is organized in collaboration with the Directory of Education. On the same date, April 28 in Korçë, will be organized a seminar with students of the University of Teachers“How should communicate and behave with students”. In this seminar will participate apart from lecturers, children that will present their ideal teacher. In the region of Elbasan in April 25-26 will be organized an exposition with three parts: with photos under the titles “A happy moment in the life”, with some parts in prose and poetry “How do I love my teacher” and with pictures and drawings “The Impressions”. In April 29, in Kukës will be organized a seminar in the Cultural Centre with teachers, local media, The Directory of Education and students with the theme: The needs of a qualified teacher in schools and what are the current problems of education in Kukës.

CCF Albania in collaboration with the Roma organization Romani Baxt Albania for the Global Campaign for Education in April 25, 2006 will organize a workshop with the theme “Each child needs a qualified teacher” in the Trifon Prifti School Baltëz Fier. The participants will be the Directorate of Regional Education, the academic staff of the school, students, parents, etc. The days after with the same community will be organized the quiz of drawing “My school”, “Together with teacher”, and the training course “the Education of Children: A Right or a Duty”.

The Trade Unionsof Education (FSASH and SPASH) will organize a meeting with students and teachers for sharing the experience of the best teachers in Fier, Tirana, Elbasan, Shkodra, etj. in April 27, at 11:00 in Hotel Tirana International. In meantime, another meeting will be organized in the House of Holliday in Durrës, in April 29, 2006 with the teachers that deal with children that have specific problems to attend school and to reach good results in some teaching subjects.

SOS – The Villages of Children and the School SOS “Hermann Gmeiner” for the Global Campaign for Education will organize: The Exhibition with pictures in school with the theme “A qualified teacher for each child”; the creative activities with students of the school with the theme “How do I imagine my ideal teacher”, etc.

The Organization MEDPAK in Librazhd for the Global Campaign will organize: the distribution of campaign poster in schools of Librazh, and will organize a meeting with the youth of Secondary School “Ibrahim Muça” where will be read the best essays with the title “How would I want to be my teacher”

World Vision Albania has facilitated the organization of activities in twelve primary schools in Elbasan, Vlorë and Lezhë where about 2 000 children and their teachers will take part the campaign. They have organized meetings with the Regional Directory of Education and the Directories of Prefectures, meetings with the heads of municipalities and asked from the local authority and leaders to pay more attention on education. About 600 children in Prefecture of Vlora have prepared a short movie material where they present their ideal teacher. The children of Elbasan have prepared an exhibition with drawings where they draw their imagined teacher.

The Albanian Coalition for Children’s Education believes that the education of children and the qualification of teachers must be a priority for the Albanian Government and all society. The education has a great impact on the decreasing the poverty, enhancing the educative and cultural level of the society and creation of an active force for work, which would be able to be integrated into the international market.

The Coalition for Education of Children invites the Albanian Government, Parliament, President of Republic, local authority, society, NPO-s, parents, teachers, children to give their maximal effort to make education more qualitative and reachable for all children throughout Albania. Give your contribution that each child to have a qualified teacher. Bring back in the school one more child!

IF YOU CAN READ THIS…. THANK A TEACHER!