Author: Aurora Shpataj
Gazmira, mother of two daughters, has lived in the Astir area for more than 20 years. Having come to the capital for a better life for her children, she tells "Sinjalizo" about the vicissitudes of raising children, especially in the area of education.
" I came to the capital 20 years ago, together with my husband from Puka, for a better life. Currently, I have two daughters, one is 14 years old, the other is 9 years old. But, to be honest, in the education part, I am suffering a lot with the girls."
Asked where her daughters are educated, Gazmira, a saleswoman in one of the supermarkets in this area, tells of the difficulties she faces together with her husband.
" I don't even know how I manage at the end of the month with the salaries that my husband and I receive. We send the girls to the "Dhori Leka" school at the former aviation field, because even though Astir has become a city in itself, with buildings on all sides, no one has thought about building a school ."
The mother of two children says that the costs for her family have increased, due to the lack of a school in the Astir area.
" I even ordered a van for my two daughters, because I was afraid to send them alone on foot, because I was afraid something would happen, what we are not hearing in the news. I pay 250 thousand lek per month for the van, imagine for yourself, half of my salary goes to send my daughters to school. Don't even get to the food, clothes, books, school supplies. Everything has become more expensive ."
The mayor of Tirana, Erjon Veliaj, has promised several times to build a school in the Astir area. In April of this year, he said from a construction site in the middle of Astir, that the area will have 5 new schools.
“ This means that we have waited to relaunch the competition to build new schools in Yzberisht, in the entire Astir and Kashar areas again this year. This is just one of three sites. On this site we will have the 9th grade and the gymnasium. We have another site in Kashar, also for the 9th grade and the gymnasium, and we also have another site that is between Lana and Unaza .”
Contrary to what the mayor of Tirana promised in the electoral campaign for the local elections of May 2023, an official of the Municipality of Tirana, who asked to remain anonymous, said that it is actually planned to build 3 buildings, of which 2 buildings will be like a 9-year school and a high school.
"Sinjalizo" verified on the ground the areas where the construction of 5 schools is planned and the "first brick" has not yet been placed.
The municipality of Tirana says to "Sinjalizo" that in Lot 2 of the completed study, the construction of 4 schools in total is foreseen; respectively, three new schools in Neighborhood no. 14 and a new school in Administrative Unit 7. More specifically, in Neighborhood no. 14, the construction of two type 2 basic education cycle schools and one type 4 upper secondary education cycle school is foreseen. While in Administrative Unit no. 7, the construction of a type 4 school, i.e. upper secondary cycle, is foreseen.
The Municipality of Tirana in its response confirms that the demand for educational facilities has been continuous from the residents of Astir.
Circumstances for registering children in kindergartens
Preschool education also remains a problem for the Astir area. This is because Astiri does not have a public kindergarten, except for the one at the "Andrea Stefani" school, in the area called the former Shqiponja square. Obstacles continue even with the registration of children in kindergarten. According to the staff of this kindergarten, the documents needed for the registration of children are basic.
" Resident certificate of the neighborhood where you live, child's certificate, health analysis issued by the hygiene institute, vaccination certificate ."
As for parents who register their children in other neighborhoods, due to the overcrowding of the kindergarten in the neighborhood where they live, certification is required from work or the kindergarten directorate.
" I work illegally, in construction, today I work, I won't work for 2 weeks, then I have enough work and where can I get the certificate that I am working then. So, it's up to me that I can't register my son in kindergarten just for this document that they supposedly call elementary. What is the purpose of the certificate whether I am working or not, God knows ," Iliri concludes, telling "Sinjalizo".
But how much does it cost to raise a child these days?
Anila, mother of a 2-year-old son, pharmacist by profession, tells "Sinjalizo" that costs have tripled these days. According to her, salaries compared to expenses have a huge gap.
" My son, Sorel, is 2 years old. I send him to a private kindergarten that costs 60 thousand lek per month. A pack of diapers costs from 25 to 40 thousand lek, powders, creams that go somewhere around 130 thousand lek per month. Health visits, medicines, medical checkups somewhere around 150 thousand lek. Let's not forget clothes, strollers for the baby that have very different prices, but I'm buying the cheapest one somewhere around 400 thousand lek. So, in total, it costs me 650 thousand lek per month to raise my daughter," Anila concludes.
