Ida Ismail
The “After School” program, undertaken by the Ministry of Education, is being presented as an important step to help students even after the end of the learning process, where they can complete their homework and consume a free lunch. Approved by a decision of the Council of Ministers, the “After School” program is implemented in public pre-university educational institutions of basic education and upper secondary education.
While the payment for one lesson for teachers and trainers, for activities that take place outside of mandatory teaching hours, is 1,000 (one thousand) lek.
In a press conference, Minister of Education Mirela Kumbaro also called on retired teachers to become part of the program: "We are opening the list of collaborators not only for teachers who are part of the system, but also for teachers who are retired and active, various specialists in art, music, and artisans to become part of extracurricular programs where schools will now have the funds available to reward these collaborators who come from the community in a dignified manner."
However, beyond this vision, it remains unclear whether the system is ready to cope with this expansion. On the ground, the challenges are obvious. Minister Kumbaro herself has acknowledged that implementation is not easy, as it requires improvements in infrastructure and the establishment of clear standards.
On the other hand, education representatives see the program as an opportunity, but also as a potential risk. Isa Halilaj, vice president of the Education Union, says:
"This project should first be for teachers who are in the system, who have few hours and who are engaged even after regular classes so that they do not drop out of the system."
According to Halilaj, this project should not repeat the failures of previous programs such as "Doing Homework" and should not be reduced to just "copying homework", but should include genuine activities such as physical education, painting and art.
"Confining children for many hours is contributing to an increase in cases of violence. The program should not focus on homework, but should provide children with additional activities such as sports, art, etc."
He also focused on the cost that parents currently face for private "after-school" centers, which according to him are a destruction of education, since school hours do not match their work hours. "Today, families pay up to 25-30 thousand lek per month, a huge burden for Albanian families."
The “After School” program remains an initiative on paper, but has not yet passed the field test. This program can be a solution for families and an opportunity for students, but only if it is accompanied by real investments, clear standards and not a copy of previous programs, which unfortunately have not provided real solutions./acqj.al
