Roundtable discussions of ACCE members on Normative Provisions for the Pre-University Education Law and psychosocial support for children at risk in Albania

Tirana, 27 May 2013 - The Albanian Coalition for Child Education - ACCE, has undertaken the initiative of drafting the Normative Provisions of the Pre-University Education Law of 2012. During the month of May 2013, three consultative meetings have been organized with the representatives of various civil society organizations which work for the advancement of child rights in Albania.

The discussions initiated in these meetings consisted in the analyses of the articles of the Pre-University Education Law (2012) in Albania. ACCE partners focused comprehensively on the need and necessity of integrating children that attend Child Day Care Centres, in the public education system and in the social protection system. Moreover, in their opinion social care selection criteria and the psychosocial services offered by psychologists and/or social workers need to be rethought in the context of the welfare system. Article 18, 19 and 20 of the Pre-University Education Law were the focal points of the discussions. From the analysis, several factors that exclude or deprive specific target groups of children from the public education system have surfaced.

The following changes and improvements were underlined in the meetings:

• The need to lobby and advocate for specific categories of children and their beneficiary criteria.
• The urge to redefine and clarify the concept of social orphans.
• The establishment and strengthening of support to teachers in schools, in order to facilitate the integration process and the involvement of students in public schools.
• The establishment of integrated classes in elementary schools.
• Work coordination with all stakeholders to identify children who eventually drop out of school.
• The necessity to motivate children to participate in the public education system and overcome judgment and discrimination.
• Classes shall no more exceed 25 students.
• Provide support to families in need in order to stimulate the accession of their children in the public education system.
• Improve the school curricula in the framework of human rights education and expand the knowledge of the future generations on issues such as ethnic, racial, gender and religious differences etc..
• Territorial integration of children with special needs in all public schools and educational institutions.

The experts leading the process of gathering the suggestions and recommendations from all the CSO’s will accordingly draft a document with the proposals in order to present a formal document to the Ministry of Education and Science. The contribution of every organization working in the field of education and social care is fundamental in laying down the real issues that need to be faced in this phase of the Law. Every CSO is invited to be part of the process as a means to advance the educational system in Albania.

Sincerely

Altin Hazizaj