Ida Ismail
Tirana, crowned as the European Youth Capital for 2024, faces a paradox: while the city is growing, the educational infrastructure does not meet the needs.
With over 70,000 inhabitants and growing areas such as Astir and Kashar, which are without public schools, parents are forced to face daily challenges to educate their children. Meanwhile, overcrowded classrooms and double-shift schedules make even more urgent the need for investment in education, a promise that has yet to be fulfilled.
"I take the child to the "Dhora Leka" school, to the former Aviation field, since we don't have a school in Astir", says a resident of the capital. Among other difficulties, he expressed the marked lack of public educational institutions in the new block of buildings built recently.
40 new schools was the promise of the mayor Erion Veliaj for the third mandate and the avoidance of teaching in two shifts, which would relieve classes from being overcrowded with students.
Developing areas in Tirana, without schools
Administrative unit 14, which includes the neighborhoods of Astir, Yzberisht, Kashar, has no public schools, although according to official data, over 70 residents live in this unit.
Cost for parents and heavy traffic in the capital
The consequences of the lack of public schools in some areas of Tirana are suffered by thousands of students and parents, who are forced to pay for transportation, challenge teaching in shifts and a minority who can afford it, pay for non-public schools.
Another parent complains that he has to send his child to the "Dora D'istria" school in Myslym Shyri, a 40-minute walk away, every day.
Meanwhile, two boys in the 7th grade state that in the absence of school in Astir, they were forced to study at the "Vasil Shanto" school.
Veliaj promised 5 public schools in Astir
"We will build 5 schools in Astir that will be the envy of the whole world", was the promise of the mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj, during a meeting with residents in April 2023, just before the local elections.
FEBRUARY 23, 2024
10 months later, Veliaj spoke again about the construction of new schools in Astir, during the meeting with young people in the distribution of new membership cards. The mayor said: He will build two schools on "Tre Dëshmorët" street in Kombinat, two schools in the Kashari area and another school on the front line of Astir.
For not building schools, Veliaj was justified by the war in Ukraine
"When we got ready to throw the lot, after we had resolved all the ownership conflicts, the price of steel and concrete increased tremendously. No one came to do the schools" - said Veliaj at that time.
Lack of public schools in Dry Lake and Sauk
The Dry Lake area with about 23 inhabitants and among the most expensive as a result of the new construction boom does not have a public school. In March 2023, Veliaj again promised that in addition to the construction of schools in Astir, he will also build 2 schools, 1 at the "Botanical Garden" and 1 at the Olympic Park.
Even the Sauk area has a lack of public schools, compared to the population. For this fact, Veliaj promised the construction of 2 new schools.
Veliaj also bet on the 40 unrealized schools
In a television interview in May 2023, the mayor said: It is undoubtedly a great pleasure that we have made 40 schools. I understand these, I am ready to give an account. Why 40 and not 50? 40 to nil is still an impressive result.
Reconstructed and newly built schools in Tirana 2020-2024
The Municipality of Tirana partially responds to the request for information, sent by "Sinjalizo". The municipality provides us with data on reconstructed and newly built schools during the last 4 years.
From the data, 13 schools have been reconstructed during 4 years, 9 schools with funds from the municipality of Tirana and 4 others with funds from foreign donors.
In 2024, 2 schools under reconstruction and 4 to be built
2 schools are in the process of reconstruction, while 4 others are in the process of being built, with funds from the municipality of Tirana.
For reconstruction is the 9-year-old school "Shyqyri Peza" and the construction of sports grounds and the surrounding wall for the "Mustafa Greblleshi" and "Sandër Prosi" schools.
The 9-year school "Ibrahim Hima", United High School, is in the process of construction
Krrabë, 9-year school "Edit Durham" and 9-year school "Pjeter Budi".
Schools under construction, two-shift teaching pending
While 4 new schools are expected to be built, what remains unresolved is the two-shift teaching. The students of the "Edith Durham" school, since it will be built from scratch, moved to the "Emin Duraku" school to teach in the afternoon. An announcement that came to parents, 1 month after the new academic year had started.
Two-tree learning problems
In the request for information, the Local Pre-University Education Office informs that the two-shift teaching takes place in 26 public educational institutions
| 1. The number of public educational institutions for lower secondary education is 105. |
| 2. The number of public educational institutions for higher secondary education is 41. |
| 3. Teaching takes place in two shifts in 26 public educational institutions. |
| 4. Due to the reconstruction of some schools, classes take place in the afternoon in five public educational institutions: |
| - Sheqyri Peza, Mersin Duqi, Ibrahim Hima, Pjetër Budi and Edith Durham. |
| • The number of students per class is according to the provisions of Instruction No. 14, dated 10.07.2023 "On the number of students per class and the teaching load of educational workers in pre-university education institutions." Schools meet the requirements for the number of students per class according to this guideline. |
How effective is two-shift teaching for children?
Teacher Tereza Marku, who teaches the subject of Biochemistry at the "Edith Durham" school, talks about the difficulties that the children faced when they went to "Emin Duraku" school in the afternoon.
"For the parents, it was a problem in the beginning to have classes in the afternoon. This is due to work schedules, lack of time with children. While the students found it a bit difficult to adapt, they are sometimes even sleepy, as the effectiveness in lessons drops in the afternoon", says teacher Tereza.
Do two-shift schools meet the standards?
According to the Ministry of Education, schools meet the requirements for the number of students per class and the workload of staff in pre-university education institutions.
However, the President of the Education Union claims otherwise
Isa Halilaj, president of the Education Union, says that the Instruction stipulates that 31 is the maximum number of students in a class. But, according to him, it is done differently, since the number of students goes to 36 in the class, bringing a decrease in the quality of teaching.
"We are moving towards education with two standards. The conditions are different in schools in the center, for which more is invested than in the suburbs. A high percentage of teachers work in some schools and this overload leads to a decrease in quality" - said Halilaj.
MASR: Schools are equipped with all didactic tools
According to the Ministry of Education, schools have all the necessary materials for the development of the learning process, including books, technological equipment and other support tools for learning at every educational level.
"Petro Nini Luarasi" school, amortized and without laboratories
The teacher of the "Petro Nini Luarasi" school, Etleva Doka, who has been in education for 32 years, talks about the need for reconstruction in this high school and for investment in quality teaching tools.
"We take the laptop and connect it to the internet on our phone, as there is an internet line at school, but it doesn't work. They have not made any investment. Laboratories 0. The chemistry laboratory has not been functioning for years and we make those simple solutions ourselves. Learning with tablets has never worked, today they are locked in a drawer, out of order," says teacher Etleva.
She shares the concern that the digital classroom is being demanded, while teachers do not have the proper equipment to practice it.
Beyond the electoral promises made over the years, Tirana continues to suffer from the lack of schools, but also of two-shift teaching. In addition to this, schools outside the standards remain problematic, where some of them are amortized and do not have the proper equipment to properly develop the learning process.
While promises of new schools and reducing classroom overcrowding are repeated, residents continue to face the consequences of inaction. If Tirana is to remain a center for youth empowerment, promises for educational infrastructure must transcend campaign slogans and become a tangible reality.
