Ida Ismail
The increase in the number of after school centers in Tirana, beyond the promises of advertisements for quality education and full care, has begun to highlight disturbing problems. With an increased financial cost for parents, but often without the expected effects on children, these centers operate mostly without licenses and without institutional monitoring.
In a city where the pace of work does not match school schedules, after school centers have become a necessary solution - but not always a quality solution.
For the safety, but also the good education of the children, parents are choosing non-public schools and after school programs. An increased financial cost for the parents, but apparently without a positive result for the children. This is evidenced by a 42-year-old parent, the father of a son in the 3rd grade, who complains to "Sinjalizo", regarding the after school programs, which leave much to be desired in Tirana.
"From the first grade, I enrolled my son in private school and in the after school program, to study and do homework. But, I noticed that my child had a significant lack of knowledge", adds the parent. This is because, according to him, the students are left free and the tasks are not checked by the teachers, who are also overworked since they also teach in the private school.
How do after school centers work in Tirana ?
The phenomenon of enrolling children in after school has been increasing, as the teaching schedules in primary and lower secondary education do not fit with the work schedules of the parents. This has "forced" the parent to pay for these centers, for which legal regulators and controllers are absent.
In an observation in some after school centers in Tirana, what is claimed to be offered to children are homework, food, transportation. The cost for parents ranges from 7-17 thousand ALL per month, from Monday to Friday for 3-4 hours. Students learn in groups, first classes with second, third with fourth and so on. While according to the statements received in these centers, the teachers have finished the lower cycle and work full time in after school.
Arta, mother of 2 daughters, shares another concern about the operation of after school centers. "At the after school center in the area of Fresk, where I enrolled my 7-year-old daughter, lessons were held in collective groups and with a high number of students" - says Arta, who adds that the center did not even offer entertainment programs for the child, as it was communicated at the time when the child was registered.
How are after school centers licensed?
An after school center in Tirana says that it received the license for the exercise of the activity from the National Business Center. The administrator, a psychologist by profession, has set up an after school center in the Fresko area at a cost of 25-30 thousand lek per month. "We offer study, food, psycho-social activity, medical assistance" - says the administrator.
After school centers not licensed as such
Each business first registers at the National Business Center to have a Nipt, to exercise the activity. The official website of the KKB explains the cases when licenses are granted by this institution, such as for kindergartens, but in no case is there talk about licenses for after school.
"Sinjalizo" sent a request for information to the National Business Center regarding the registration or licensing of after school centers, the criteria they must meet and whether they are licensed as course centers or kindergartens. In response, KKB clarifies that 390 entities are registered in the commercial register, of which 210 are permits/licenses only for kindergartens.
The National Education Agency, under the Ministry of Economy, says that they grant licenses only to training centers, which offer professional qualifications, for ages over 16.
This means that they are not certified, as the Albanian legislation does not yet recognize them as business units that offer after school Services.
The Ministry of Education does not control after school centers
Worrying is the fact who administers these centers, how the staff is selected and do they have the proper qualification to teach. The Ministry of Education and Sports, as the institution responsible for the control of educational institutions in the country, did not respond to the request for information regarding the licensing or control of after school centers.
However, sources close to the institution inform that the Ministry of Education does not monitor these centers, but only public and non-public schools and kindergartens.
Course center and after school center in the same environment
In the absence of checks in the country, businesses are registered as course centers in Tirana and also operate as after school. In the same environment, in addition to learning foreign languages, after-school lessons are also offered.
How the after school centers are damaging the education system
The President of the Union for Education Isa Halilaj tells "Sinjalizo" that in the absence of control by the Ministry of Education, the after school centers are in danger of turning into a time mine.
"Since the parent is at work and due to teaching in two-shift schools, he is obliged to take the child to after school. They are centers that have no program, they only have a Nipti number. Working with children is very delicate and these centers must definitely be under the control of the Ministry of Education", says Halilaj.
The report of the Civic Center on the "Doing Homework" initiative
Kolindo Verdha from Qëndresa Cijatare tells "Sinjalizo" that the initiative of the 3 ministries, Education, Health and Agriculture "Doing our homework", undertaken in 2018 has failed to be implemented.
"Until 2023, this initiative has been spread to only 13.4% of the total number of schools and engaged only 2.6% of students.
Public schools today must offer not only this service, but also other Services that shape the talents of the students, which will thus increase the student's productive stay at school" - says Kolindo Verdha.
After school centers are affecting the parent-child relationship
Ardiola Bodinaku, psychologist and lecturer at a non-public university, says that after school centers are a wrong model, as they completely separate the child from the parent. Bodinaku says: "More awareness and sacrifice is needed, children must have at least one parent at their disposal. To have communication with the child, to be aware of his day and to be as alert as possible for any problems the child may have".
The standard of living has increased and parents, finding themselves unable to stay or teach their children, "force" them to take them to after school centers. But until the moment when the licenses are missing, there is no program or control over these centers and it is not known if the people who teach have the proper qualification, these centers become a danger for children. Therefore, there should be awareness and monitoring in the field in order to have after school centers with the right standards.
