Albanian government shall take immediate steps to provide free school texts for all children in need!

Tirana, 16 September 2013 – The Children’s Human Rights Centre of Albania (CRCA) and the Coalition for the Education of Children in Albania (ACCE), are extremely concerned by the information we are receiving on the start of the first day of school, where many children in need so far have not been equipped with free school books by schools and educational departments.

At ALO 116 today, parents and children, from Roma community and other disadvantaged groups have reported that children were not equipped with free textbooks, which has a direct impact on the educational attainment and the exercise of their universal right to education.

CRCA and ACCE with this Urgent Appeal, ask the new Government of Albania, and more specifically the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance, in view of the progress of the 2013-2014 school year, to take immediate measures to provide free school-books and in real time for all children in need who are unable to buy them, as according to the joint Instruction of MF and MES, No. 32, dated 04.08.2011.

To exercise the right to education requires the Government not only to provide free obligatory education for all but at the same time to provide for free the means to attend school such as school-books and logistics. Non-fulfilment of this obligation is a violation of requirements of Article 28 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

We hoped that one of the first public actions of the new Government of Albania would have been the provision of free school-books and learning materials for all children in need across the country, in order for them to exercise their right to education. We strongly urge the Ministry of Education and the Albanian Government, to make this a reality for all children who are now sitting in school without books, notebooks, or even school bags, while expecting their government to provide care for them.