In commemoration of National Teachers’ Day, a professional network of 125 teachers, designed and established within the framework of the Council of Europe’s project Strengthening Democratic Citizenship Education in Albania was officially launched on 3 March 2021. The launching event was hosted by “Abdyl Paralloi” primary school in Elbasan, a city with a long history of education of teachers going back to 1909.

The 130 participants who attended the hybrid launching event were addressed by Evis Kushi, Albania’s Minister of Education, Sports and Youth, Jutta Gützkow, Head of Council of Europe Office in Tirana, Elsa Håstad, Ambassador of Sweden in Albania, Robert Gajda, Commissioner for Protection against Discrimination, and Erinda Ballanca, Ombudsperson, who were all present in Elbasan.

The speakers commended the project for its sustainable actions to bridge the gap between education policy and practice through its threefold focus on policy, democratic school governance and teacher support. They also highlighted the importance of the teacher network given the current context of the pandemic and paid particular tribute to the extraordinary commitment and efforts that Albanian teachers have demonstrated to ensure the continuity of teaching and learning during the pandemic.

The network, called TeacherNet, is envisaged to expand to all 75 pilot schools of the project and to over 375 education practitioners in Albania. It will help teachers to strengthen their competences so that they are able to better develop competences for democratic culture in learners and ensure inclusive learning environments for all children.

During the event, pilot schools were also offered a platform to present and exchange good practices in promoting democracy.

 Read the Ministry’s press release at this link.