Is a hot Tuesday in Tirana, heading to “Sami Frashëri” High School we meet Ira and Aleksandër, both in their final year. Together we visit the recently inaugurated “Laboratory for Democracy”, which is not an ordinary classroom. It is a flexible, interactive space that features a digital touch screen platform, modular furnitures to create dynamic environments for group work debates and participatory learning, while offering a variety of resource materials on democratic citizenship. “Teaching and learning not only become more interactive and interesting through the tools provided to us in this laboratory, but co-operation and inclusion are also encouraged”, shares Ira without hiding her excitement as she moves quickly her fingers prints in the surface of the large touch screen displaying visually details of a lesson in geography. Aleksander nodes in agreement adding “Now we can touch the subjects concretely, in a practical way, which has changed fundamentally the way of learning in school.”

A transformed school: Flexible Learning and Active Citizenship

The “Laboratory for Democracy” is no ordinary classroom.  The teacher Marsida Shehi, who has followed the development of the lab since its beginning, sees the shift daily: “The laboratory is flexible and supports a “whole-school approach”. It’s used in every subject: citizenship, geography, literature, and information technology. Learning becomes tangible, and all students have an opportunity to interact with visual tools and each other.”

Meanwhile, Aleksandër, who is also the President of the Student Government, shares his personal experience: “Now we are not limited only to theory or simply manual learning. Now we have an opportunity to explore more, to ask questions, and to experiment…”
 While he speaks, he is demonstrating the endless options in the digital platform as exploring the module on “Social Media, Democracy and Human Rights”.

When asked about the benefits of this Laboratory, the Director of the “Sami Frashëri” High School, Majlinda Ziu emphasised that this change is shaping a new mentality in the education system in Albania: “The initiative has revitalised the whole school, giving concrete form to the abstract concepts of human rights and citizenship. We are no longer just forming students who learn lessons by heart, but we are raising responsible and independent citizens who tomorrow will know how to contribute actively to our society.”

The Laboratory Beyond Walls: Community and Connection

A fundamental dimension of the philosophy of the Council of Europe is the school as an open community center. In this spirit, the laboratory opens its doors daily to the wider local community. Through the “Digital Volunteering” programme, students can help local seniors, promote digital inclusion and literacy. Thus, grandparents are invited to visit the laboratory where they are assisted to open personal accounts on the e-Albania platform, guide seniors on how to access essential public services, and other essential online services. “This encourages inter-generational dialogue and strengthens solidarity. The elderly feel valued by sharing their experience and do not feel excluded from the innovation of the present, while young students practice active citizenship by helping the most vulnerable,” says teacher Marsida.

Impact Across Albania: A Growing Network of Democratic Education

All of this is not an isolated case. There are 17 laboratories operating in different schools across Albania, including those in Divjakë, Shkodër, Tropojë, Gjirokastër, Devoll, Elbasan, Tirana and others, serving to more than 9,524 students and 623 teachers.

These spaces are carefully equipped with a wide base of resource materials from the Education Department of the Council of Europe, adapted to the Albanian context. Series of publications and guides dedicated to students, teachers, and parents, are available in the shelfs, addressing important topics such as digital citizenship education, concrete lesson plans on “fake-news”, youth activism, prevention of cyberbullying and many others.

As Ira and Aleksandër look ahead to graduation next year, they feel the impact of the Laboratory for Democracy in every lesson and conversation. Students like them are not using the innovative Labs just for learning, but also for leading the way into a brighter future where knowledge, digital citizenship and democratic culture walk hand in hand.

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“Laboratories for Democracy” were developed with the support the project “Strengthening Democratic Citizenship Education in Albania” implemented by the Council of Europe and funded by the Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency (Sida).