Following the official launch of the piloting exercise, an Education at Times of Emergencies and Crisis (EDURES) Enlarged Working Group, composed of the relevant stakeholders and end-users from both local and national levels, gathered in Durrës and Tirana on 4-5 July 2024, to contextualise the EDURES toolkit for the Albanian context. These workshops, that brought together educational policymakers, representatives of local authorities from Durrës and Tirana, Peoples’ Advocate Institutions, the Albanian Red Cross and the National Civil Protection Agency facilitated by Council of Europe experts from the International Institute of Sociology in Gorizia (ISIG), Italy, aimed to provide a comprehensive, hands-on overview of the EDURES components, including its Conceptual Framework and Handbook, and to tailor these tools to fit the specific needs of the Albanian educational context.
The first day was dedicated to an in-depth presentation of the EDURES toolkit. Participants engaged in a detailed analysis of the challenges and strengths within the Albanian educational ecosystems, focusing on the six principles of Resilience for Education as outlined by the Council of Europe. This analysis of the educational environments in Durrës and Tirana set the stage for the subsequent contextualisation process, identifying key areas for adaptation and enhancement within the toolkit.
On the second day, participants meeting in Sami Frashëri high school in Tirana formed working groups, each addressing one of the EDURES benchmark dimensions: Environment, Infrastructure, Society, Economy, and Governance. These groups examined the indicators and evidence relevant to each dimension, working collaboratively to refine and adapt the toolkit. The session concluded with a plenary discussion where general observations were shared, and specific feedback was collected by the Council of Europe.
The workshops yielded several key insights. The EDURES toolkit was deemed highly relevant for Albania, offering a holistic approach to community resilience. Participants particularly valued the multilevel and cross-sector approach implemented by EDURES. Numerous suggestions were made to enhance the efficiency and impact of the toolkit, underscoring the collaborative effort's success and the commitment to improving Albania's educational resilience.
This activity was being implemented within the piloting stage of the Council of Europe’s Toolkit on Education in times of emergencies and crisis, developed to support the implementation of the Resolution of the Council of Europe’s Ministers responsible for Education. The EDURES is piloted jointly by the Council of Europe’s Education Department and the pilot schools engaged within the project “Strengthening Democratic Citizenship Education in Albania”*, supported by the experts from the International Institute of Sociology in Gorizia (ISIG) as well as Albanian experts and educational stakeholders.
*The Council of Europe’s project “Strengthening Democratic Citizenship Education in Albania” is financed by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).
