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Enhancing Professional Development of Education Practitioners and Teaching/Learning Practices _________________________________________________________________________________________________

0.0 Cover page International Research Project Enhancing Professional Development of Education Practitioners and Teaching/Learning Practices in SEE Countries

NATIONAL REPORT FROM Albania

National Project Team: Dr. Bardhyl Musai, Associate Professor, Centre for Democratic Education

Dr. Milika Dhamo, Associate Professor, University of Tirana Dr. Petrit Muka, Associate Professor, Teacher Training and Qalification Centre

Dr. Edmond Rapti, Associate Professor, University of Tirana

Tirana, December 2005

Supported by the Open Society Institute Education Support Program

RE: FINE - Supporting Education: Fund For Innovations And Networking

National Report for Albania – December 2005

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This report represents an expose of the current situation of the education and professional development system of teachers in Albania, which at the same time sets out the main directions where the system needs to be improved. The report is based on the most important data and documents available in Albania and beyond, which are directly related to the educational and professional development of teachers. The reports includes data coming from the national study prepared and carried out during the period of June-July 2005, which gathered information from 149 teachers from all levels and 12 institutions of teacher education and training.

The conclusions and recommendations derive from the situation analysis and the suggestions of teachers involved in this study.

1.0 Setting the scene: the national educational system

The founding principles of the Albanian education system are embodied in the Albanian Constitution, the main laws and the legal acts along with other important documents issued by the Parliament, the Government, the Ministry of Education and Science. The Albanian Constitution guarantees to every citizen the right to education in the public schools of the compulsory primary education system and the general secondary education, professional or socio-cultural, which is offered free of charge.

The current legislation considers the education sector in Albania a national priority. The education sector has its mission of insuring spiritual emancipation, material progress and social development for individuals. Another functional principle is that the education system builds on the tradition and the precious achievements of our national school and on international treaties and agreements ratified by the Republic of Albania. The respect of children rights and human rights is another powerful democratic principle. The citizens of the Republic of Albania enjoy equal rights to education at all levels, regardless of their social status, nationality, language, sex, religion, race, political beliefs, health conditions, and economic standards. Ensuring opportunities for national minorities to develop their native language and culture and to be integrated and to participate into the country’s life, is another basic principle expressed in the law.

The Albanian Parliament is the legislative body that issues laws and amendments. The Government, the council of Ministers and the Ministry of Education and Science issue other legal acts such as normative dispositions, bylaws, orders and guidelines in compliance with the law.

The legal basis regulating the primary and secondary education consists of the Law on the pre-university education system no. 7952, dated 21.06.1995, amended by the Law no.8387, dated 30.07.1998. The higher education system is regulated by Law No. 8461 dated 25.02.1999, amended on 28.07.2003.

The Ministry of Education and Science (MES) is the highest public administrative body in the education sector. This institution is responsible for the administration of the education system at the national level, based on the basic principles of the education policy established by the Government and the Parliament of the Republic of Albania.

The MES is responsible for the implementation of the national policy on a laic education, approved by the Council of Ministers. The MES approves the basic documents with regard to education institutions, school programs and curricula, establishes the


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structure of the academic year, the distribution of teaching volume and the number of pupils for each classroom in public schools. The Albanian education system inherits a structure that continues to preserve the features of the previous system, which has been already overcome by many other countries. Children from 3 to 6 years old are enrolled in pre-school education. Compulsory education includes children from 6 to 14 years old, whereas secondary education is from 14 to 18/19 years old.

There is a small number of kids enrolled in the pre-school education system (ISCED level 0), which is basically an integrated system of public and private pre-schools.

The compulsory education or the 8-year education system1 is the main feature of the entire pre-university education system. The compulsory education is established in two cycles: the elementary cycle, from the first to the fourth grade (ISCED level 1); the lower middle cycle, including grades from the V to the VIII (ISCED level 2). This system covers the country as a whole and it is conceived as being unique and integral in the sense that the upper cycle is a logical and natural extension of the elementary cycle. The courses are of an open nature. The compulsory education also includes the specialized institutions for children suffering from mental and physical deficiencies.

Pupils of I-IV grades and 6-10 years old are enrolled in the elementary cycle, which due to the nature of the compulsory education, functions in conjunction with the lower middle cycle, and both are physically located in the same premises and managed by the same academic staff. In many cases, because of insufficient space, the classes take place in two shifts. In many villages with small numbers of inhabitants, there are the so-called subordinate schools (only for the elementary cycle). Such schools have a common directorate with the closest 8-year (the lower middle school, from now on as per the Government’s order). In the elementary cycle, the same teacher teaches all subjects, except for English language teachers that might be different.

In those schools where the courses take place collectively, due to the insufficient number of pupils required to form a separate classroom, the courses are taught by the same teacher in two grades in parallel (grades I and III and grades II and IV), ore even with the four grades at the same time. Generally, premises and teaching infrastructure of such schools are in poor shape.

The upper cycle, or the lower middle school, covers grades V-VIII. This is a compulsory cycle for all pupils up to 16 years old. After the completion of the VIII grade, pupils have to pass two national examinations, the Albanian language and mathematics. At the end they are given a Clearance Certificate.

In the Republic of Albania, the general secondary education (ISCED 3A), is one of the most important stages of the Pre-University Education System. The right of each citizen to attend the general secondary education system is s constitutional right.

The secondary education or, as it is often called, the gymnasium goes back to several decades in history and concerns youths from 14 to 18 years old. Until 1999, high schools around the country, in cities and villages, were unified in terms of teaching programmes, courses and texts.

1 In 2004, the Government decided to move from an 8-year system to a 9-year system.


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During the 1999-2000 academic year, an experimental specialization of secondary education started. The change consisted of a first two years of unified teaching programme and in the third year, a separation into two different modules took place for the next two years to come, according to students’ wishes and preferences. During the academic year 2005-2006, a third module was applied, the general one.

General public high schools are supposed to provide students with general knowledge, which is deeper than the knowledge already gained during elementary education. The high-school education lasts for four years. General knowledge-oriented high schools can now offer education in two different angles (scientific or social) after the first two years, so that the enrolled students can gain knowledge, which is important for their professional background prior to their university studies.

After the completion of general secondary education, each pupil is given a Maturity Certificate, whereby all the courses taken are listed, according to the academic plan followed by the pupil during his four-year studies along with the grades obtained. In an additional table the grades obtained in maturity exams are also listed.

Professional education (ISCED 3B, 3C) in Albania started during the 20ies of the last century. During mid-70ies, an extreme prevalence of agricultural secondary schools was noticed (around 350 of them were established), which was as a consequence followed by a drastic decrease in teaching quality. The goals and efforts undertaken during the 70ies and 80ies to improve the quality of professional education, through scientific and pedagogical modernization of the teaching process and content, failed. In the period 1990-1992, the drop out rate in the industrial and agricultural schools increased significantly, and led to a drastic reduction of these schools.

At the moment, the labor market structure is abundantly fluid and the majority of the traditional production activities have been replaced by services of a different nature, accompanied by the adaptation or even the death of certain professions and the birth of some other ones.

The professional education, after the year 2000, committed itself to react and adapt to the quick and intense changes of the country. The traditional structure of four-year terms has been gradually replaced by a two-layer structure: three-year-education system for qualified workers and a five-year system for technicians and other middle-level specialists.

However, professional education has been characterized by a sharp decrease in the number of pupils enrolled and it still suffers from a low reputation. Almost 2/3 of public professional schools are subsidized by the state budget, whereas 1/3 of them, which are considered as pilots, have been uploaded with expertise and financial resources by foreign agencies and organizations. This strategy of establishing pilot professional schools has had a positive impact on professional education system.

The higher and post-graduate education system (ISCED level 5 and 6): The higher education includes 3-year study systems such as fine arts, physical education, nursing etc. Other studies, such as medicine, are based on 4-6 year education systems. Post-graduate studies, such as master studies continue for 3-4 semesters. PhD studies are offered as well. In the framework of the Bologna process, the entire pre and post graduate education system is under reformation, enabling the education institutions to offer diplomas at three levels: Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD. The establishment of a higher, non-university education system, which does not exist in Albania, is under consideration.


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Table 1.1 Education System Diagram

General High-school

Education

LABOR MARKET

HIGHER EDUCATION

COMPULSORY EDUCATION

Professional Education (level I)

(3-years)

Student’s age (in years)

Professional Education (level II-2-years)

Technical and Professional

Education (5- years)

Professional Education

Pre-school Education

Social and Cultural

Education

6

14

18

Special Education

Post-graduate education

Non-university Higher Education

23

3

2.0 Teachers at a glance

During the academic year 2004-2005, all public education institutions of pre-

university studies account for 32,341 teachers along with 3,716 pre-school teachers. The number of students enrolled in the pre-university education system was 626,243 students along with 78,610 kids enrolled in pre-school education.


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Table 2.1 Schools, classes, pupils and teachers for year 20052

Type of school

Major Data

Pre-school Pre-schools Classrooms Children Teachers

1573 3096 74642 3643

Compulsory education Schools Classrooms Pupils Teachers

1725 16243 450702 25610

General Secondary Education Schools Classrooms Pupils Teachers

355 789 97467 4825

Professional Secondary Education

Schools Classrooms Pupils Teachers

56 621 63016 2569

2.1 Professional status of teachers, remuneration system, trade unions, working

season, holidays

The relationship between employers and employees in the education system is regulated by Law No.7661, dated 12.07.1995 and No.9125, dated 29.07.2003 on Labor Code and Collective Contracts, that is agreed upon each year by the Ministry of Education and Science and the Ministry on Local Government and Decentralization on one side and the Education and Science Trade Union Federation and the Independent Trade Union of education on the other. In this contract the signing parties agree on working conditions, academic calendar and holidays, salaries and financial rewards, criteria for personnel promotion and transfer, trade union freedoms, conflict resolution and so forth. In Albania, a professional code of ethics does not exist.

2.2 Remuneration in the education system

As the entire salary system funded by the state budget, salaries in the education

system are determined by a decision of the Council of Ministers. The most recent structure of the salary fund for education employees has been approved by the Council of Ministers’ Decision No. 639, dated 18.09.2003. Based upon this decision, the salary is composed of the group’s salary (GS) and the additions to the salary. The group’s salary is determined in compliance with the education level of the employee whereas additional remuneration includes: seniority, level of

2 The Ministry of Education and Science. Information of the Statistics Office: www.mash.gov.al


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http://www.mash.gov.al/


qualifications and other additions based on the hierarchical level (they depend upon function and education cycle).

Working hours in the education system are divided into: a) Working time in the classroom, which includes: • The weekly workload in terms of teaching hours, and b) The working time outside of the classroom. This includes: • individual preparation; • different meetings; • pedagogical council meetings; • work with parents; • extra-curricular activities.

Workload in the classroom in pre-university education is divided as explained

below: Pres-school education: the director: 6-24 hours per week, teachers: 36 hours per

week. Primary education: School director: 8-10 teaching hours per week and 4

monitoring hours. Deputy Director: 10-12 teaching hours per week and 6 monitoring hours, lower cycle teachers: 23-26 hours per week, language and literature teacher: 20 hours per week, math, physics and bio-chemistry teachers 22 hours per week, other courses teachers: 24 hours per week.

Secondary education: School director: 4-6 teaching hours per week and four monitoring hours; deputy director: 8-10 teaching hours per week and six monitoring hours; foreign language and literature teachers: 20 hours per week; other courses teachers: 22 hours per week; professional internship teacher: 33 hours per week.

The calculation of experimental work, professional internships, graduation exams, thesis guidance is divided as listed below: 1 hour of experimental work converts to 1,5 teaching hours; 1,5 hours of professional internship counts for 1 teaching hour, guiding a thesis for three students counts for 1 teaching hour; exam preparation for written exams for 3 students counts for 1 teaching hour, oral preparation for 5 students counts for 1 teaching hour.

Teachers’ holidays are calculation as annual leave and national holidays. He annual leave is composed of 51 payable days (15 working days in compliance with the Labor Code and 36 additional holidays. The working week in education is a five-day week.

2.3 In-service teacher training

According to the current legislation, the institution that is responsible to handle

qualification activities for the teachers is the Regional Education Directorate (RED) and the Education Office of the District (EOD). On the other side, there are many non-profitable organizations that carry on different activities in this respect with different groups of teachers. Joint activities between the RED and the central curricula and training institutions through short-term workshops several times a year generally include a relatively low number of teachers and cannot handle the variety of issues. The system of


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a continuous in-service teacher training lacks its vision and policies, because there is a lack of a needs assesment study and a lack of competition.

The above-mentioned shortcomings are coupled with a series of institutional clashes deriving from a Decision of the Council of Ministers No.655, dated 25.09.2003, on The Establishment of a Training and Qualification Education Centre. Based on this decision, there is an obvious conflict of interest within the status of the institution between its mission and its main area of action. The institution is entitled to draft the qualification strategy and at the same time, the same institution is responsible for the organization of the training and qualification of the teachers and directors of education institutions. The other breach is related to the rectrutement of the employees which is aginst the Law No.8549 on the Status of Civil Servant.

The lack of standardized criteria for teachers, the lack of legal acts on training programmes and remuneration systems, the lack of an evaluation and self-evaluation system, the lack of competent people to do training in the regions are some of the major issues in this respect. Table 2.2 Number of teachers in the 8-year education system in 20053

Teachers Total Female teachers

Village teachers

Female teachers

Teachers in total 25670 17021 16099 9243High-school graduates 10244 6500 7958 4583Pedagogical high-school graduates among them

8006 5187 6186 3633

University graduates 15426 10521 8138 4664Teachers in elementary education 10485 8141 6888 4784High-school graduates 6636 4668 5102 3265Pedagogical high-school graduates among them

5952 4239 4464 2908

University graduates 3849 3473 1786 1519Teachers in the upper cycle 15185 8880 9208 4462High-school graduates 3608 1832 2856 1317Pedagogical high-school graduates among them

2054 948 1722 725

University graduates 15577 7048 6352 3145 Table 2.3 Number of teachers in secondary education system in 20054

Teachers Total Female teachers

Village teachers

Female teachers

Teachers in total 6753 3936 1836 813 High-school graduates 229 94 69 33

3 The Ministry of Education and Science. Information of the Statistics Office: www.mash.gov.al 4 Ibid


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University graduates 6254 3842 1767 780 1. Teachers in general secondary education

5017 2915 1806 799

High-school graduates 111 56 68 32 University graduates 4906 2859 1738 767 2.Specialized secondary education 1013 682 101 50 High-school graduates 4 4 1 1 University graduates 1009 677 100 49 3.Social and cultural profile 712 415 16 9 High-school graduates 33 22 3 0 University graduates 689 400 15 9 4.Technical and professional profile 238 164 15 7 High-school graduates 6 1 2 1 University graduates 232 163 13 6

2.4 Staff re-assignment and transfer

Practically, transfer implies staff reassignment from one district or another, but there are promotions or reassignments to a lower level as well, mainly within the same district or from one education level to another, or horizontal reassignments from one school to another.

In general, the transfer takes place to please the will of the interested party when he/she changes his/her place of residence or to fulfill the needs of a certain district, in compliance with the individual’s will. Everything has to be checked by the Ministry of Education and Science.

During transferals within the same district, the principle of staffing the schools with teachers as per the school needs is respected, in compliance with the required workload. Mostly, staff appointment and transfer does not take place based on teachers’ merits, whereas re-assignements from one school to another are almost unjustified and whithout taking into consideration the teacher’s opinion.

3.0 National system of pre-service teacher education and training

3.1 The system of pre-service teacher training

Teachers in Albania are prepared and graduated at Tirana, Elbasan, Korça, Vlora, Shkodra and Gjirokastra Universities and at the Academy of Sports. The faculties and departments of the teaching profession, within the University structures, are responsible for organizing and compiling programs. The main activity of these institutions is the theoretical and practical preparation of the students for the teacher’s professional skills. Research helping in the preparation of teachers, schools, teaching and the pupil is a secondary activity and it has a low level of financial support and systematic application.

The university system for the pre-service teacher education and training doesn’t provide for the preparation of teachers for 0-3 years old children and the psycho-


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pedagogical formation of the teachers that teach professional subjects at the high professional education system. Pre-school educators and primary grade teachers (elementary school) are prepared at the Primary Grade Cycle at Elbasani, Korça, Vlora and Gjirokastra Universities. This program presents a relatively new opportunity at university studies, but the market demand, mainly from females, has repeatedly increased.

Teachers of the lower middle cycle upper are prepared at local universities, Elbasan, Korçe, Vlorë, Gjirokastër and Shkodër). These universities don’t prepare teachers for music, drawing and decoupage subjects. The majority of higher middle cycle teachers are prepared at the University of Tirana, at the respective teaching faculties. Needs for teachers that teach technical subjects in general high schools are not met regarding psycho-pedagogical and didactic aspect. At the same time, the formation of teachers that give special subjects at middle professional schools remains unclear. The professional curricula of teachers on special subjects at professional schools and who are prepared outside of the teaching faculties is completed with short courses of professional formation as teachers. These are ad hoc courses and the majority of these teachers are not educated through the basic principles of formal education. Teachers of physical education are prepared at the Sports Academy.

The preparation of teachers in Albania is consolidated during their education period. The program of the teacher’s university preparation at universities prolongs during the most part of university studies: 4 years. The present Albanian system for the pre-service teacher education and training doesn’t offer any longer courses for an accelerated preparation of teachers, or programs of pedagogical institutions, which were actively operating until ‘80.

3.2 Institutions for the pre-service teacher education and training

The structure of the institutions for pre-service teacher education and training is explained below:

a) The faculties of elementary cycle and pre-school education system prepare: 1. Pre-school teachers (Universities of Elbasan, Gjirokaster, Korca, Shkodra

and Vlora) 2. Teachers of elementary cycle (Universities of Elbasan, Gjirokaster, Korca,

Shkodra and Vlora) b) Teaching Faculties prepare:

1. Teachers of the lower middle school (Universities of Elbasan, Gjirokaster, Korca, Shkodra and Vlora)

2. Teachers of the higher middle school (University of Tirana)

These faculties have foreseen in their organigrame departments on academic education. Professional education (knowledge on psychology and education science in general) is carried out by an inter-faculty education department.


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The number of full time students which study at Albanian Universities during the year 20055 is provided below:

• pre-school teacher education : 952 students • primary education system: 2 556 students • upper cycle & high school: 11 295 students

Funds allocated for publications to the institutions that prepare teachers are

modest. Needs for publications are met with the assistance of some NGO in the field of publication. The majority of professors are self-financing their individual publications. The publications market that helps the teacher’s preparation is expending.

Teaching faculties and departments have under their disposal very few technological appliances that are assisting the teacher’s preparation. And the existing ones are old and non-effective. This situation leads to the traditional way of teaching through the programs of the teacher’s preparation.

3.3 Financing

Financing of Universities that deal with teacher’s preparation is mainly realized through the public budget funds. Only a very small share of financing (around 10%) is realized through revenues gathered from teaching tariffs, secondary quotas or services offered to third persons by these departments.

Finances of the universities are still centralized. The financial autonomy of the universities, although guaranteed by legislation has practically a lot of handicaps and the administrative framework is incomplete. The restricted financial resources and the centralized practices of their usage are compromising the financial autonomy of these universities.

3.4 Graduation and licensing

Teachers attend University study programs for a four years period. The graduated teacher is immediately employed at the working market as a teacher. The diploma is specified according to the accomplished university formation. Diplomas conferred at the faculties for the teacher’s preparation in Albania are of various kinds as follows:

• teachers of pre-school education • teachers of the elementary cycle • teachers of the upper cycle and lower middle cycle ( History-geography,

Linguistics-Literature, Civic Education, English, French, Italian, German Languages and Greek Linguistics and Literature, Physical Education, Mathematics, Physics, Bio-chemistry, Informatics-Mathematics, Informatics).

• Teachers of higher middle school (History, Geography, Albanian Language, Literature, English, French, Italian, German, Greek, Slavic Languages of the Balkans, Turkish language, Mathematics, Physics, Biology-Chemistry, Chemistry, Informatics, Philosophy, Sociology, Psychology).

5 The Ministry of Education and Science. Information of the Statistics Office: www.mash.gov.al


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The University diploma received by teachers is considered as an initial preparation to exert the teacher’s profession. This diploma is an important document which is assessed by the teacher’s community. This is observed while interviewing a group of teachers, who were questioned on their concepts concerning teacher’s initial preparation.

The results indicate that there is a trend whereby the university diploma is considered by teachers as an appropriate legal and professional document, which makes possible for the student-teachers to be employed at the teacher’s profession. The same group of teachers when asked about the value of the teacher’s diploma state.

Around 92% of those interviewed consider the diploma as a valuable document, which guarantees enough knowledge to respond to the countries needs for the teaching profession. Practices of licensing teachers are not yet present in Albania. Likewise, the data clearly show that teachers are aware that their diplomas get outdated very quickly and 60% of them expect a professional “makeover”.

3.5 The targets of the curricula for pre-service teacher education and training

The system of the teacher’s preparation in Albania is developed according to the principle of completion and not of competition. Universities intend to serve to the communities that need teachers. They have not developed competing standards among them and they offer similar programs.

• Teachers of pre-school education system (offer of Vlora, Shkodra, Korça, Gjirokastra and Elbasani universities). This program intends to prepare the teacher of pre-school education system to acquire knowledge and expressions for working with children 3 to 6 years old, in order that children are prepared before going to school. They teach them initial knowledge on mathematics, reading, music, drawing etc. Preparation of young teachers to stimulate social, cognitive, emotional and moral and linguistics development of the children is the most important target of these curricula.

• Teachers of the elementary cycle (an opportunity at the Vlora, Shkodra, Korça, Gjirokastra and Elbasani Universities). The curricula of this program intend to provide these students with knowledge and expressions to work with children from the first grade until the fifth grade. This program includes a number of school subjects such as: mathematics, Albanian language, reading, history, knowledge on natural sciences, drawing, music, physical education etc. The students who are teachers of this program are prepared as teacher for all the subjects provided for at the elementary school program, etc. The students of this program are prepared to teach all the subjects included in the elementary school program.

• Teachers of the lower middle school (an opportunity at the Vlora, Shkodra, Korça, Gjirokastra and Elbasan Universities) and the Academy of Physical Education and Sports. They are prepared in order that they are able to work with pupils from the 6th to 9th class. The student selects a specialized program of a subject, or a subject’s binomial intending to acquire theoretical advanced knowledge and complex practical expressions.

• Teachers of the higher middle school (an opportunity at the Tirana University. The teacher- student is prepared to work with pupils from 10th-12th grade. He


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gains theoretical knowledge and practical expressions for a certain subject of the high school curricula.

Universities pre-service teacher education, elementary, secondary and high school

offer studies only in one grade and issue only one type of diploma. The department of Pedagogy at Tirana University is the only one in the country that offers a Master diploma after following a post-university school in “Teaching”. This department at Tirana University is also offering the third cycle of studies: Doctorate in education.

The university system of the teacher education and training preparation in Albania is not yet subject to accreditation process. All the universities are treated on equal and primary bases concerning the financial aspect, investments, encouragement, contracting etc. in spite of the scope, service quality, the level of the qualification of the teaching and researching staff. The first efforts for accreditation of universities preparing teachers at national level have started in the framework of Bologna Process only during the recent months.

3.6 The structure of curricula

In spite of the changes during the recent years, the structure of teaching schedules is still traditional. The first conclusion that we draw after a quick observation of these structures is that the subjects are listed without a clear target concerning the study branches, characteristics and competences that the student must assimilate after finishing their studies. Selection of the teaching subjects is based on the offer made by pedagogues from each faculty and not on demand. This has led to the creation of a very irregular structure and to difficulties in judging what these faculties are preparing.

Based on the experience of developed European countries, subjects of the basic formation knowledge include those subjects that the teacher will teach after finishing studies. These subjects differ according to the branches and the school level. For example, for “teachers of pre-school education” these subjects does not have much weight at the teaching schedule (around 20-25%), since their professional preparation to have knowledge of a psychological, pedagogical and methodological character is mostly important.

The subjects of professional formation include the psychological, pedagogical, methodological, cultural and social aspects of the education process and the applied research element.

The teaching practice is the main element and during this practice the would-be student-teachers learn all the aspects of the work in the classroom. This element hasn’t gained the place it deserves in the preparation of pre-school and elementary school teachers and it is still very low profile for branch teachers at only 8-10%.

Reasearch is gradually becoming part of the teaching curricula in the teacher training faculties. Quality, methodology and its application are issues that need to be improved after a reflection process and thorough analysis.

The structure of the faculties, curricula, syllabuses and teaching plans must change by separating blocks into clearly defined reports and the subjects must have an internal coherent relation among them, thus meeting the targets of each branch in compliance with the market requirements (schools) for teachers of different categories.


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If we study some teaching plans of some teacher training faculties, for pre-school education and grades I to IV (for further reading: The Primary Education and the Pre-school Education, CUP), it’s quite clear that they have undergone restructuring, but without having a clear target. They contain a lot of subjects, which are distributed on an empiric way, or are a unification of some subjects that are taught in homologous institutions, but which don’t have an internal connection among them and are not in coherence with the branch purposes and targets, since they are missing. Although nominations of some subjects seem attractive, we don’t believe that their content is attractive as well. There is no coherence among subjects that would allow for cross-curricular models.

Lectures, exercises and seminars are divided in such a way that create the impression that the subjects intend to simply transmit knowledge and not construct new knowledge through discussion of different viewpoints, which would have made the lessons more attractive. A more rightful division in favor of exercises and seminars will be more acceptable, if we take into consideration the fact that the student must deal with home work most of the time and come to the auditor to hold discussions and not reproduce lectures, or what is written in books.

3.6.1 Characteristics of the curricula of theper-service- teacher education and training

Curricula of the teacher training are realized through a period of 4 years studying. The number of university courses differs for each university. Even the composition of the program, semester organization of the subjects differs from one university to another, in spite of the fact that students receive the same diplomas. The teaching curricula contain some basic components:

• the teachers Universitety, • the teachers subject preparation, • preparation and trainig as a teacher, • the teachers pedagogical preparation, • teaching practice

3.6.2 Curricular structure of the preparation programme for pre-school and

primary education teachers

The formation of primary education teachers at faculties (pre-school and elementary school teachers) has a higher percentage of pedagogical formation courses. This percentage represents around 50% of the curricula weight. We also observe that the students spend too much time for pedagogical practice through direct contacts with the pupil and the school compared with other grades. The student spends around 45% of his time for scientific formation.

3.6.3 Curricular structure of the preparation programme for the lower middle school teachers


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An analysis of the curricular structure for the preparation of the upper cycle teachers of the 8-year school system, that is for the secondary and high school indicates reversed reports, which are in favor of scientific formation of the student. The academic scientific formation prevails considerably in the formation curricula of this category of teachers. It is still believed that deep knowledge in the field of science is a pre condition for a good teacher. This reality in universities is helped by the strong existing mentality in the education market. Schools and consumers are still requesting preparation of their children with scientific knowledge. University studies are mostly concentrated at subject preparation. Such subjects have a greater imposing weight compared to the subjects of methodological, pedagogical and physiological formation. The component of the subject preparation of the teacher education at universities gets around 70-75% of the curricular load, whereas for high school teachers the figure is 80-85%.

The environment where the students of the compulsory upper cycle and high education conduct teaching practice is poor, neglected and not well organized. The level of this practice directly at schools is still very low. The low level of the teaching practice at schools (4-7%), compared to the European system for the teacher education and training is revealing shortages in the Albanian system for the student’s education as teachers. This is reflected not only at teaching practices, but also in the presence of an old mentality regarding school priorities.

3.6.4 Curricilar structures of equal diplomas

Faculties for the preparation of pre-school education and primary grade teachers at different universities (local universities), although offering the same diploma and have unique programs, offer different number of courses and lesson hours attended by the students in order to receive the diploma. Even the content of the courses differs, in spite of similar nominations.

3.7 Evaluation coming from the teachers

In order to ensure a more complete and credible view on the preparation and professional development of teachers, a study was carried out between June and July 2005. There were two questionnaires prepared, which served to gather information from the teachers interviewed along with the intitutions that educate and train teachers. The questionnaires were processed manually due to limited Internet access and they were sent to the Project Coordinator by the Centre for Democratic Education.

There were 149 teachers interviewed in Albania and 12 institutions of teachers’ education and training. The results have been used throughout the report, according to the issues addressed.

Teacher distribution according to gender is not equeal for men and women, beacuse the majority of teachers in Albania are women. Hence, 74,5% of the interviewees are women and the rest, 25.5% are men. As far as teachers’ seniority is concerned, the majority of them have a work experience that goes from 5 to 30 years.

3.7.1 Teachers’ opinions on their education and training system


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The evaluation provided by the teachers concerning the actual system of elementary cycle teacher’s preparation at Albanian universities indicates the need for changing the education system for the teacher’s preparation. Over 65% of those questioned accept that this system has shortages. In the meantime, 25% of those questioned request radical changes. Only 2, 8% of those questioned accept this preparation system and state that this system is good.

The majority of the interviewees do have a teacher’s preparation diploma, i.e. 82,55% of them. The teachers admit that a university education is helpful in their teching profession, however they feel the need for a continous professional development. This was confirmed by 32,21 of the people interviewed. 26.85 of the teachers would like to obtain a Bachelor’s diploma, according to the new preparation system in line with the Bologna Process. Those who would like to get a Master’s degree represent 24.16% and PhD aspirants make 6.04% of the teachers. 4.03% of the teachers interviewed are unhappy with their diploma, whereas those who do not have a diploma but have undergone on-the-job training are 21.48% of the teachers.

These data match with the qualitative analyses and evaluations of the teacher’s preparation system made by the faculties or departments leaders. They consider the need for changes to the system of the teacher’s preparation in Albania as emergent.

3.8 Institutional viewpoints on the teachers on teacher education education and training system

There were 12 institutions involved in the survey. Nine of them were institutions

of the public system of pre-service teacher education and training, one was the national state centre for in-service training and qualification and the other two were NGOs that offer in-service teacher training.

The data coming from the questionnaires comply with the factual state of teacher education and training. All of these institutions are far from the standards required by the Bologna process and still lacking the necessary entry point standards in order to start the process.

Similarly, the national Centre of In-service Teacher Training and Qualification has no clear role and tasks in its position of an aide to the Ministry of Education in policy making and the coordination of different offers coming from governmental or non-governmental institutions, based on the needs assessed by this Centre.

3.8.1 Cooperation among institutions of high education

The cooperation between faculties of pre-service teacher education and public school networks, which fulfill different needs in the process of the teacher’s preparation seems sometimes at good levels and some times fractioned. The nature of the professional partnership between schools and universities of pre-service teacher education is unclear and there are no binding document or rules set by the Ministry of Education and Science that would regulate this relationship. Nevertheless, the origin of a professional cooperation may be found at the following elements:

Firstly, a formal agreement is signed between faculties and Regional Directorates of Education for the establishment of school networks, where the students may conduct


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professional practice. The frame of the cooperation agreement is very simple and doesn’t contain description of tasks, responsibilities, ethical standards, sanctions or legal amendments. These cooperation agreements haven’t any financial effect.

Secondly, schools are interested to have experienced teachers that will be ready to help teacher students.

Thirdly, the process of the teaching practice is already a routine job for many faculties. Specialists that deal with drafting programs for the teacher’s preparation at universities are ready to envisage in these programs the formation of practical skills outside university auditors. The teachers cooperate in the field of monitoring the students teaching. They try to find space to play the role of the monitor for the student. They use their own standards to report about the progress of teaching hours conducted by the student during the practice.

The figures indicate that around 92% of mentor teachers are ready to help students and transmit their teaching experience to them. Fourthly, an assessment motivation is observed among the teachers of public and private schools to cooperate concerning scientific research. The school staff wants to cooperate with the university. The data indicate that 89.26% of those interviewed want to cooperate in research and cooperation projects with the university.

In spite of the positive systematic, or sporadic desire of the teachers to cooperate with the university, this cooperation remains still insufficient. The leaders of teacher’s faculties and departments state that the low level results from:

• scarce financial resources, almost inexistence in some cases, for carrying out research work

• low participation of teachers at discussions about university curricula of the teacher education and training.

• lack of research projects in the teaching area, • non-commitment of teachers as partners in the universities publications of

a pedagogical character.

Fifthly, cooperation is also expressed in the implementation of programs for the teacher’s qualification. Currently, this level of cooperation is low. The school doesn’t yet consider the university as a center that offers qualification services, since the university is excluded from the teacher’s qualification scheme. The universities themselves are making little efforts to institutionalize the serving role in the community.

3.8.2 Cooperation with the school

The school or pedagogical practice is still performed at exercising schools in line with traditional models during many decades. A few years ago, the system of mentors was carefully piloted and this successful experience is followed even presently at only one faculty, while the others have turned back to the traditional practice.

The teaching practice is not actually orientated towards establishment of a real cooperation with the school. Concentration of practice at only one school, so-called exercising school has become an old method and does not fulfill needs of the faculties. Faculties must send students to some schools for practice, which will serve for other purposes as well such as professional development, studies, researches etc, and the


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mentor teachers must become collaborators with the faculty. The Ministry of Education must be more active and take over all the necessary responsibilities to be included in the system of such a model.

4.0 National system of in-service teacher education and training

Human, political, social, professional and economic problems are standing in the way of training and qualification of in-service teachers, in Albania, just like in other countries.

The newly high school graduated teachers get automatically the title of teachers of the fourth degree qualification. After a five years experience in education, they may be trained in order to receive certification and pass to the third degree of qualification; after five other years (in total 10 years of work) they must be trained for the second degree, while after 20 years of work experience they may receive the first degree. This is the first system of the teachers training, that of the qualification for attesting. After getting the certificate, the teachers profit an increase in their monthly salary.

Parallel to this system, teachers perform their continuous training, through seminars/workshops held in the capital, at local administrative units and even at schools. The teacher’s basic salary is rising in two ways – in an automatic way according to seniority (2% every year) and for the qualification degree (with 5%,+5%,+10%), respectively after 5; 10 and 20 years of work in the profession of education.

The in-service training (which don’t bring about an increase of the monthly salary) are not formally compulsory, but, nevertheless, teachers attend seminars/workshops even when they are not interesting because of their content, or because of the trainer’s level.

As it is seen, attesting is an articulation of many elements relating to training, evaluation, certification and movement of the teachers to a new qualification degree (III;II;I) and the increase of the monthly salary.

4.1 The structures of the in-service teacher training

The national network of local trainers, which was set up in 1993, was functional until 1998 when it was abolished by the Ministry of Education and Science. During the following two or three years, national teacher trainings were not organized and very few local training were conducted. During this period, the MES charged schools with the organization of in-service teachers’ training courses through the so-called internal training, something that didn’t have the least national support.

On February 1, 2005, the Education Training and Qualification Center (ETQC) was set up. This center has not yet a statute of its own, and if we add other legal irregularities to it, it is evident that its work becomes even more diffucult and the institution unable to cope with the many requests for a qualitative in-service training.

The universities conduct trainingsnot only in coordination with other centers, but also by themselves directly with the teachers. These teachers serve as mentors for the teachers in terms of pedagogical practice in agreement with the RED. There is still legal confusion as far as the basis for cooperation is concerned.


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Due to changes in Albania’s administrative division, the districts were cut out and Regions were formed, thus replacing them. Regional Education Directorates (RED) were established in them, whereas the education structures called District Education Offices (DEO) remained at former districts. Regional Education Directorates are also composed of a department, which is responsible for the training and consultation of the teachers. On the other hand, the districts education offices deal with the training and consultation of teachers as their main obligation.

4.1.1 The objectives and contents of in-service teacher training

Through in-service teachers’ training, held by the national state training system, the teachers are trained to apply the changes occurring in the curricula of different subjects, introduction of new subjects in school, improvement of teaching process through effective methods and strategies, development of cross-curricula and extra-curricula knowledge, improvement of teachers’ skills in the domain of student education and others. But, teachers assume new responsibilities as to developing students’ critical thinking, while applying the principles of a knowledge socity, human rights, democratic education, global and European civilization, health care and environment education and others.

4.1.2 Organization and preceeding of training

The workshops and different courses are organized as follows: a) Education Training and Qualification Center (ETQC) submits to RED the training

programs recommended for all of the subject profiles and school levels. REDs use the respective programs to compile the school programs for the teachers of their regions. The programs regard not only trainings on excellence in teaching, but also the upgrading of the teacher’s qualification level. The programs are implemented over the academic year through seminars held in the regions, districts, groups of schools and within the school.

b) ETQC organizes national workshops in Tirana with attendees from all REDs, who may be employees of education directorates or teachers invited to hold trainings with their colleagues. In these workshops, the trainers are the authors of the programs and new textbooks, experts of teaching and education methods, university lectures, super-teachers and others.

c) ETQC and IKS publish series of pedagogical materials in support of RED, as well as for free sale to the teachers.

d) There are cases when ETQC experts assist with their trainers the trainings taking place at different regions.

e) Ministry of Education and Sciences also holds trainings workshops on different issues, the universities, as well.

4.1.3 Types of courses

The courses held are of different kinds:


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a) Training courses on teaching of different subjects, which include all the teachers according to the subjects they teach.

b) Some-hour or one-day seminars at different schools, in which the training is multidisciplinary.

c) Qualification courses for teachers. d) Courses on the training of school directors. e) Training courses for local trainers.

Not only the national centers, but also the local ones carry out often specific

trainings for the teachers who are not graduated in education and for the teachers with improper education. In Albania, there are about 8000 similar teachers (out of the total of 32700 teachers). It is confirmed also by the data of the questionnaire used in this study (question 1.5), according to which, 20,13% of the teachers have completed only secondary school studies. If we apply the answer to all teachers at the national level, the figure goes up to more than 7,000 teachers.

4.1.4 Organizations offering in-service teacher training

In Albania, there are only a few organizations that offer qualitative training for teachers based on programmes aligned with teachers’ needs. Many donor organizations have conducted short-term training activities, which generally are based on what these organizations can offer rather than what the real training needs of teachers are. Nowadays, there is an increasing request for qualitative in-service training activities, which in turn would have a direct impact on students’ results. Still there are limitations on what is being offered.

The main organizations that offer trainign are listed below: Centre for Democratic Education (CDE) The Centre for Democratic Education is a non-profit organization that supports

change and education development by conducting a series of intellectual services in the area of consultancy, research, training, education management, publications, that promotes critical thinking, active and lifelong learning for every citizen in a democratic society. CDE offers: • Consultancy in drafting documents related to educational policies, curricula and text

books • Certified training courses for teachers that are concentrated on Methods of Reading

and Writing for Critical Thinking (RWCT). • Certifies training courses for trainers on RWCT, Interactive teaching and learning

strategies, etc. • Courses, workshops, summer schools, round tables, conferences and consultancy for

beneficiaries and school supporters (parents, school administrators, education directors, university students).

• Publication of manuals and books based on modern methodologies, training modules and guidebooks, reference books and material, products of the CDE activities.

• Drafting of didactical and educational materials that promote interactive teaching and learning.


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CDE owns the lisence for the implementation of the RWCT programme in

Albania through a certified workshop cycle in two levels. The workshops are of an interactive nature, whereby participants have an opportunity to work on an individual basis, in pairs or small groups, to discuss and exchange opinions and experiences. The methods used in the workshops are useful and applicable in every school subject and in all grades of pre-university education. The programme is based upon professional standards.

At the same time, CDE offers additional programmes and professional publications for teachers and education managers and administrators. CDE has published for the first time in Albania the catalogue of available professional services and education-related publications.

Step-By-Step Centre (SSC) The Step-by-Step Centre (SSC) works to achieve its goals by offering consultancy

work, training and technical assistance during early childhood to all its partners. The Step-by-Step programme is being implemented in Albania since 1994. The mission of the SSC is to create models and to promote the principles of democracy in early childhood education in Albania. The main objective of the SSC is to contribute to the development of early childhood education in Albania and to the improvement of the quality of services in early childhood education, through:

• The consolidation of a step by step network of teachers, parents and beyond while modelling a qualitative program for early childhood education

• The preservation and promotion of high standards for the programme, while it expands in Albania

• Expanding early childhood education methodology in cooperation with other interested partners.

Human Development Centre (HDC) The Human Development Centre, while striving to fulfil its mission of teachers

and youth training, carries out the following activities: • Psychological, sociological and education studies • Training for students, teachers, parents, communities • Publications in the area of education and psychology aimed at assisting teachers,

students, parents, communities etc. • Psyco-social services for schools and communities. Over the years, the HDC has organized various activities in cooperation with other organizations along with several studies and projects.

4.2 Legislation

According to “The Standard Provisions (On pre-university education)” signed by the Minister of Education and Science in September 20, 2002, the teacher has the right to be qualified and select the methods to use while teaching, but, in addition to it, the aforesaid by-laws describe neither the specific rights of the teachers regarding their


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training, nor the organization schemes, salaries, modalities of drafting the budget, allocation of funds and others. The legal deficiencies bring about negative consequences particularly in the system of the qualification of teachers.

The legal vacuum is so great that the districts’ education directorates, although they might have funds, do not have a law even for paying the trainers they could invite for the teachers’ training, while they, according to the Undergraduate Education Standards Provisions, continue to be completely responsible for the qualification of the teachers.

4.2.2 The budget and financial possibilities for the qualifications of teachers

The budget for education in Albania is very low, whereas the special budget for the training of teachers is reported with oscillations. Currently, in 2005, each of the 13 Region Education Directorate has a $5000 grant for in-service teacher training. This budget is insufficient to meet the great necessities of the teachers for training.

Data show that the teachers claim to have no financial possibility to afford their qualifications. According to the answers they gave, about 43,1% of the teachers declare that could not afford a single day of qualification away from their dwelling place by their own expenditure, 18,78% declare that could afford only one day, and only 8,3% state that could afford more than 5 days. In regard to the other question on the money they could spend for purchasing the pedagogical materials indispensable for their attestation, only a few teachers declared to have the opportunity to use small amounts.

4.3 Assessment of the qualifications of teachers

In the national activities of qualification, the internal assessment of trainers and seminars by the participants (through daily questionnaires) is made use of. For the activities with the teachers without proper education, the assessment, in addition to the above-mentioned method, is made also through the reports of the observers in 10 focused districts. These observers are considered internal for the institution, which financed and supported the teachers’ training, but are estimated external for the local education authorities. The external assessment, which would mean autonomous to the assessed ones, is not applied in Albania, except for the NGOs.

4.3.1 Professional teachers’ standards

Currently, there do not exist professional standards of working teachers. The EQTC is undergoing the process of compilation of these standards. The Accreditation and Evaluation Centre for Higher Education has set up standards of pre-service teacher education faculties

4.3.2 The correlation between the assessment of teachers and their salary increase

There is a distinction between the debate on the increase or not of the payment for attestation and the debate on the increase or not of the salary depending on the assessment of the teacher. The first debate regards only one aspect of the activity of the


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teachers, the upgrade of their qualification level, whereas the second debate regards also other issues, as for instance, the results of students, observation in the classroom, inspection, opinion of parents and others. It is a more difficult and delicate process before undertaking a similar step.

4.3.3 Trainers of teachers and raining of trainers

Over the last two years, a series of qualifications in the districts “to prepare local capacities”, qualifications which do not have the dimensions of a school for the training of trainers and teachers at work have been undertaken. The participants are no longer the local trainers trained over 1993-1997. Not only the Institute of Curricula and Standards (IQS) and EQTC experts, higher school teachers, inspectors of Ministry of Education and Science, textbook authors and programs, renowned didactic scholars, but also teachers and directors of high professional level, identified by their performance and different works, are committed to the training of the trainers. The state continues to keep out of the training service area those indipendent organizations that have defied the state institutions by offering qualitative professional services.

4. 3.4 Individual needs of teachers

The training needs of teachers are identified through several ways as: • Claims of teachers themselves concerning practical necessities they meet while

working • Changes of programs and textbooks, of curricula in general • Reports of school principals and inspectors • New official acts issued.

Referring to the questionnaire, point 2.7, it results that only 9,40% of the teachers

declare that they find always their preferred topics at the training courses. About 74% of the teachers declare that find these topics often or rarely. It means that the system of the training of working teachers is not continually addressed to the needs of teachers, but to the topics and programs the state authorities suppose to be useful for the teachers.

4.3.5 Accreditation of teacher training centers

Currently, neither the procedure nor the institution that could do the accreditation of the centers training the teachers, exist. In addition to the state centers, many NGOs, foundations, inter-governmental organizations, which often do not have any relation to education in their denominations and statutes, deal with the training of teachers. It is the responsibility of the Ministry of Education to take care of the accreditation system of training programmes in order to normalize the situation and to orient these programmes along the national strategy goals.

The studies and training practices of teachers show that the trainers have often the official status (they are appointed by RED, ETQC, ICS and others), but they lack a professional status beacuse they have not received the necessary training.


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From the viewpoint of the local trainers, the training system is in crisis. The employees of local education authorities do not have a precise description of their work. That is why they often play the role of the trainer, instead of the role of manager and administrator.

Based on the answers of question 2.11 of the questionnaire used in this study, in regard to the preparation and training of teachers, only 2,68% of the teachers declare that these are good and do not need great changes. Further on, 19-30% of the teachers declare that the programs of education and training should concentrate also on the contents of the subjects, teaching and learning, and practical necessities. This distribution of answers shows that none of these directions has been estimated to have been carried out well. It is reinforced also by the other alternative, according to which, 25,5% of the teachers declare that radical changes are indispensable. The fact that this answer is not given by the majority of the teachers highlights that there also exists a positive experience in this domain, which should be taken into account in order to progress.

According to the answer of question 2.2, only 11% of the teachers have not been subject to any training over the last year. But, when one observes that only 11% of the teachers have been trained for six or more days, it means that much less teachers are trained for longer periods. While almost half of the teachers declare to have been subject to a single training day. If we take into consideration the way in which the trainings are often organized, many teachers might have assumed as a training day one of those days, when they only had two-hour training session.

Referring to the answers of questions 2.4, some 23,49% of the seminars have been organized by NGOs. It is a surprising figure concerning the wide range of the trainings by the NGOs and the necessity of their coordination with national programs in the future.

If we would interpret the answers of question 2.6.1, would mention that the teachers do not find the seminars organized by higher schools useful, because they, as in the other countries are highly oriented to academic material and not to the performance of teachers.

The teachers find the trainings organized by the public institutions subordinate to the Ministry of Education and the schools they work in more useful. In addition, they appreciate also the trainings conducted by school networks for the subjects they teach.

4.3.6 School inspection system

The school inspection system started it operation as a separate department within the Minsitry of education and Science in 2003. At the moment inspection if focused on the process of school evaluation by using a set of performance indicators. Another aspect of the inspection is in-service teacher training which represent another dimension of its activity.

The system needs to focus more in school development rather than is school evaluation and use mechanism for identification of teachers’ needs for inservice training. There a lot to be done in order to have an effective inspection system, moving from the previos model to the new one, as an effective tool for quality assurance in education.


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5.0 Recent development and plan in teacher education and training

5.1 National Strategy

Currently, the education of teachers in Albanian university institutions does not follow a structured national strategy. Moreover, in the national education strategy, the objectives of teacher education in the future are not clearly defined. The education development, the profile and skills of good teachers, of the skills they should develop for accomplishing the strategic obligations of the education development for the perios 2005-2014, are not mentioned in the national strategy of pre-university education development.

The programs of teachers’ education follow another agenda of reformation. They are undergoing restructuring in the context of Bologna Charter. The haste of expecting also the input of the teachers on the goal and programs of teacher education appears to be great. It is observed that, in the context of Bologna Charter, teachers’ education would be addressed with a national reformation platform. Although the national education strategy is a omnipotent political document, which “aims to treat the aspects of current situation and propose the measures and necessary interference for each of the main respective domains of the education sector,”6 it does not clearly define the commitments to the teacher education and training. Through the liberalization, it is claimed that control over the standards declared as national will be gained. While the claims in light of the education for the coming decade are great, the obligations for the education of teachers remain unclear. Unclearness in the commitment of education abilities of the teachers would cause deformations of the goals of the education system in the country.

The strategy summarizes the idea of changes in the education under reform, but does not describe the restructuring process of the teacher education and training, providing universities freedom of guess for the quality and profile of teachers as agents of change.

The strategy on pre-university education is oriented to the product and not to the process. The process of change is not described in it, but the features of the product that will stem from it. The process of teachers’ preparation is also unclear and not addressed.

The strategy marks an effort for social, moral and political emancipation from higher-ranking bodies. The systemizing reform demands better integration of the orientations and obligations from the higher-ranking bodies with the internal will for change, as well as with the institutions that prepare the change, an improved assessment of teachers potential and needs.

5.2 Institutional strategies

The faculties of pre-service teacher education andtraining, at all universities, seem to have been in the need of having a strategy of their institutions for the education of teachers, as well as for the progress and other educational and scientific commitments. The faculties of elementary education and teaching, in an independent way and out of the framework of national planning, have attempted to develop local strategies. Through the local institutional strategies the following is in general aimed at:

6 National Strategy on Pre-University Education, 2004, p.11.


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• the consolidation of education of the teachers of elementary schools and pre-school

• opening of new branches of teaching to fulfill the diversity of necessities for teachers on regional and national scale, as good as possible

• equalization of the diplomas of elementary schools with the diplomas of secondary school issued by the University of Tirana

• introduction of new courses of education and teaching aiming at the improvement of professional education of student teachers

• transformation of universities to a regional center in favor of the in-service teacher education and training

The local strategic formulations often remain on paper. They are uncoordinated in

the national plan. It has still not become possible to generate a coordination force for the implementation of the local strategies on teacher education. They do often create overloading situations for the students, clashes of pretensions for university courses and others.

5.3 The Bologna process

The Process of Bologna was presented quickly to the universities as a need for reformation dictated from higher structures. It took tome for the Process of Bologna to be transformed into an all-embracing movement for the reformation of higher schools. As a consequence of the above-mentioned impose, of failure to find strategies, the presentation of reformation ideas produced all the possible reactions to the change, from the resistance, unclearness, fear, crying, up to the enthusiasm, persistence, haste and action. All of the faculties and departments that educate the teachers in Albania have launched the work on the preparation of a reforming curricular process in conformity with the objectives determined by the Bologna Charter. The academic staffs admit that, in spite of the achievements, it is high time for the compilation of a new curriculum, in the function of the modernization of national system of teachers’ education. The claim of reformers is the comparativeness in the quality of the university education of teachers with the present European attitudes of their education.

The academic university staff display a high scale of inclusion in Bologna Process. The institutions of teacher education, responding to the request of the Ministry of Education and Science for the implementation of Bologna Charter, have drafted the local reformation agendas. The current view of the implementation of the process of Bologna it’s represented below:

a) The academic staff of the faculties of elementary schools and pre-school have structured the curricula of teacher education. Through a platform drafted by the Ministry of Education and Sciences, they have:

• Reformed the university curricula • Opened new courses • Accredited their curricula at national level • Discussed about the progress of the process in the future


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b) The faculties that train teachers of higher courses of the nine-grade schools and secondary schools do not have still a clear platform for the preparation of education of teachers according to Bologna Charter.

The reformation agendas of the education of teachers for the implementation of

Bologna Charter have defined 3+1 scheme of studying years. The new curricular structure would be applied without fundamental changes in:

• the compilation and contents of university courses • institutional management • ways and manners of funding the university • diploma’s supplement and others

The process of the compilation of the teacher education curriculum according to

the process of Bologna has also taken the labor market into consideration. It reflects the actual needs of the profession of teacher. The instruments of the analysis of the demand of teachers in the labor market and the tendencies of the development of pre-university education are suspicious. However, there is the tendency to educate teachers for two or more subjects in the school curricula. The intermediate profiles in the specializations seem to match better the mid-term needs of education system expressed in the national strategy of pre-university education’s development for the coming decade. These profiles seem to better suit also the labor market at remote areas, depopulated areas, with small schools and small number of pupils. 5.4.1 The assistance in the compilation cf curricula according to the Bologna process

The assistance during the process of curricula preparation has been very poor. In the faculties with departments of teaching, the system of credits is not used, yet. Currently, they are at the stage of this system’s planning, but up to the present, this practice has not functioned. The assistance is insufficient also in this new field of assessment and accreditation. Under these conditions, the assessment, ontogenical instruments, which were selected to form a new system with, are occasional. It was reached out by consensus that the forms of work for the definition of the competencies of the profession of teacher are:

• traditional tests (written and oral) • seminars • essays, papers • assignments

5.4.2 Mobility exchange

The visits in the context of the training of lecturers in foreign universities have

decreased over the last years, in comparison to the period 1994-2000. The visits of the staff occur as results of individual contacts, individual applications in international programs, and a little on basis of inter-regional projects and stable institutional agreements with foreign universities. The visits of the staff to foreign institutions is


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estimated by the interviewed directors as “very important for the education of teachers” because:

• increases the experience and professional skills of the academic staff • includes the staff in research projects • provides the staff with new teaching methodologies • presents the European experience in Albanian teaching • creates a new vision for the teaching in general • brings about exchange of regional experience among universities and others

The visits’ exchanges of students have so far been sporadic. Generally, neither the

exchanges of visits within the country, nor abroad have been practiced. The exchanges with foreign universities have been occasional and limited. However, it is widely believed that the students’ exchange of visits is a very important element for the qualitative preparation of students. There is no institutional practice put in place, however through the visits, the experience of the other universities is obtained, knowledge is compared and the European curricula of the education of teachers are known better.

5.4.3 Accreditation of diploma and foreign courses

As the system of the accreditation with foreign universities does not exist, there is no full knowledge of the results of students coming from these universities. The universities have still partial knowledge of results; they commit efforts to gain knowledge through the equalization of courses and modules held in foreign universities.

5.4.4 Observation of the quality of education of teachers

The guarantee of quality remains one of the internal observation mechanisms of the teacher education quality in Albanian faculties through the following:

• the observation of teaching activities • the level of knowledge aqcuisition • research activities

There is no practice of submission of the students to the assessment of the

teaching process in faculties or departments. There have occurred only some partial empirical efforts, which are based only on some questionnaires and not on examination mechanisms from the institutions specialized on the assessment of quality of the teacher education process.

The heads of the faculties and departments of teaching put the emphasis on the main barriers to the increase of quality of teacher education, as follows:

• lack of a national strategy of teacher education • lack of capable human resources, also motivated for teaching • lack of opportunities for cooperation in international projects on teaching process • lack of sufficient financial sources • lack of laboratories and didactic base for qualitative teaching • low level of students who are registered in teaching faculties


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• still archaic management of teaching-learning process in universities and others • qualitative interpretation • institutional resistance in the reformation of teacher education • lack of readiness of the academic staffs to work in different way • old school, young teacher would be the same as new school, archaic teachers • parallel legislation in reformation

6.0 International cooperation in teacher education and training

The international cooperation has been secured through different programs,

TEMPUS being the main one. Individual qualifications have taken place in different universities of EU and JEP projects have been carried out. In spite of considerable investments, these programs have not given the desirable results. In addition, over the last year, TEMPUS was represented by the end of the third stage of a project, which targeted at the augmentation of the teaching quality in Southeastern Europe. This project aimed at the democratization of the teachers’ training and learning process in the schools of the South-Eastern Europe region, through the implementation of the methods of students’ orientation.

It aimed at the following: • Exchange of experiences with the countries of region • Visits of academic staff • Didactic materials • Communication technology equipment • Pedagogical literature

The Ministry of Education follows all-inclusive policy of chances for contacts in

light of teacher education and qualification. It has a website, through which, it informs the community of teachers and lecturers about participation in qualification international activities. The Ministry of Education does not find other access to information, (for instance a page to the national TV program, daily press) to inform about qualification opportunities. As a result, the number of persons informed on time and participation is small. On the other hand, neither the Ministry, nor the universities apply the disseminated budges in schools and departments, so as to be managed in favor of attendance to international activities. The participation in the international cooperation remains compromised because of the above-mentioned causes and the language used in the activities.

At the Ministry of Education, there are no priorities of regional cooperation, except on paper. The protocol of agreements among Albania, Greece and Macedonia is present, but no party has so far allocated the respective budgets for the implementation of agreement.


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7.0. Conclusions and recommendations

Referring to the above-mentioned analysis, based on the existing situation of training, qualification and initial teacher education, in the national priorities of education, as well as in the demands for the fulfillment of objectives of the Declaration of Bologna, several conclusions were driven and recommendations formulated as follows:

7.1 Structures of teaching plans and subjects Conclusion

The listing of subjects in the teaching curricula is done without having a clear objective of the studying branches, characteristics of the competencies a student should have good commands after the completion of studies. The selection of the subjects is based on the offers of pedagogues of each faculty, but not on the demand. The teaching practice is not listed in the rank it deserves for providing the students the necessary skills to hold a lesson. The preparation of curricula is traditional and it’s based upon conveying knowledge more than on its creation. Recommendation

The structure of subject should be divided into four main blocks: • The subjects of basis academic education • Professional education which includes subjects of education sciences and

methodology • Teaching practice • Optional subjects

The teaching practice should occupy a great part in the volume of the education of

pre-school teachers of pre-school system, about 50%, for the teachers of elementary schools about 30-35%, and for the subject teachers about 25-30%. The definition of the credits, ECTS, has almost been standardized in all European countries. This estimation accounts the fact that a subject contributes to more than one other.

Curricula of the teacher education should be more oriented to: • The process • The issue • The project • Research of implementation nature,


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7.2 Assessment and evaluation system Conclusion

• The current system of ECTS does not meet two conditions, which are the transparency and comparativeness. The calculation of marks is partial.

• The assessment and evaluation system at the present is based on the control of quality and little attention is addressed to the mechanism of quality assurance.

• The assessment through written tests is overestimated and the other methods of oral tests and written work of the students as essays, assignments, research papers, personal files almost do not exist at all.

• The faculties do not provide full information for the students and all persons interested in study courses/ branches they offer.

Recommendation

The system of courses assessment based on ECTS is done according to the guidelines7. The assessment of students should be of all forms and during the whole year, by written works, discussion at auditorium, personal files and others. Every faculty should compile an information package with the main data on faculty, departments, study courses and others. The quality should be assessed according to standards, in order to secure motion and information about the programs in the beginning in the country, and afterwards, abroad.

7.3 Study in three cycles Conclusion

The three-cycle study is still at the beginning and the Ministry of Education and Science has taken a decision on joint contents of 70 subjects. There are no competencies or standards the students could be provided with and it has raised unclearness and irregularities in the structure of subjects.

Recommendation

The professional studies for the teachers of secondary schools should be completed in a separate year from the first cycle, in the fourth year, that would last up to three semesters in the teaching faculty (if established) or close to the Faculty of Social Sciences, completed with the award of a teaching certificate/license. Competencies and professional standards should be compiled for all the study cycles. The exchange of visits of university teachers and the temporary short-term visits of emigrated university teachers should start.

7 ECTS user’s Guide - European Credit Transfer and Accumulation system and the Diploma Supplement, Directorate-General for Education and Culture, Brussels 14 February 2005.


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7.4 Partnership with school and other education institutions

Conclusion

The higher school institutions, teaching faculties have formal relations with the school, which do not provide for real cooperation between them. The practices of students are reduced and do not secure provision with complete teaching skills. They are held in a single school, which does not meet demands and necessities of the faculties. Teaching faculties do not provide services for the school and education system in general. Recommendation

The faculties should secure services for the school and education system as an opportunity for the generation of incomes toward financial autonomy and be altered into regional centers of in-service teacher training and qualification. The teaching practices should take place in some schools and the Ministry of Education and Science should interfere for stabilizing this important component definitely. The pedagogical practices should be left more space in accordance with the destination of the future student-teacher.

7.5 Professional progress of the staff Conclusion

The assistants and all of the persons recruited once again do not have a special training for teaching in the faculty. No center, netiher curricula exist for professional preparation on teaching ihigher education..

Recommendation

A specific curriculum for the professional education of the staff in the teaching faculties (but also in the other faculties) should be prepared. Centers on teaching for excellence should be established at universities.

7.6 Basic skills – a precondition for enrollment Conclusion

In the teaching faculties, the quality of students attending courses is low. The students lack fundamental skills, without which they could not conduct studies. As a consequence, they consist of a poor force of teachers.


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Recommendation

The first semester of all the faculties should be general and enable the students have good commands in foreign language, academic writing, academic study and information technology.

7.7 Structure of teacher training Conclusion

The current system of in-service teacher training and qualification is in a state of crisis. The activities conducted are not structured, are unorganized and not accompanied by materials or consecutive activities. The trainers are not prepared and do not have the professional status to handle the job. There is no state structure or institution to carry out the accreditation of the teacher education and training programmes. Recommendation

• A national policy of teacher training and qualification, which would take into account the increase of national and local capacities, should be compiled

• The trainings should be held based on teachers’ needs included in a professional catalogue.

7.8 Accreditation of teacher training programmes

Conclusion There is no state structure or institution to carry out the accreditation of the in-service teacher education and training programmes in Albania. Futhermore there is no mechanism in place that would convert the existing programs into credits that would be taken into account for professional development, promotion or a salary increase. Similarly, teachers graduated from the universities do not get a license issued by the employer, but it is the diploma that automatically gives them the right to enter to the teaching profession. The qualification procedure takes place later, thus becoming a formal procedure based on teacher’ seniority.

Recommendation • In-service training programmes should be accredited by a state institution • Teachers’ license issuing procedures should start its implementation.


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INSTEAD OF A POSTSCRIPTUM

“There would be no knowledge society without radical changes in the systems of teacher education and training.”8

REFERENCES Buchberger, F. & Buchberger, I. Dilemmas of Higher Education Study Reform in the Framework of the Bologna Process: The European Commission project TUNING and its potential to materialise targets of the Bologna process in the fields of educational sciences and teacher education. (2004) Buchberger, F., Campos, B.P., Kallos, D. & Stephenson, J. (eds) Green Paper on Teacher Education in Europe – High quality Teacher education for High Quality education and Training. Thematic Network on Teacher Education in Europe. Umea, (2000) Communication from the Commission-the role of the universities in the Europe of Knowledge (2003) Commission of the European Communities. COM (2003) 58 final. European Credit Transfer System – ECTS user’s Guide European Commission: Education, Training, Youth (1998) ECTS user’s Guide - European Credit Transfer and Accumulation system and the Diploma Supplement, Directorate-General for Education and Culture, Brussels 14 February 2005 Feerick Sean Common European Principles for Teacher and Trainer Competences and Qualifications. <http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/education_culture> (website of European Commission, Directorate-General for education and Culture) (2003) Musai, B, Mentoring System and Mentors’ Training - The Case of Albania, Teacher education in Europe, ATTE (1995), Musai, B, Alternatives to Teachers’ Preparation, Revista Pedagogjike, 4 (1997): 17-24 Musai, B, Innovations in partnership and mentoring in Challenges and Changes in the Mediterranean, (Sultana, R ed), Peter Lang: New York (2001)

8 Zgaga, P., The Importance of Education in Social Reconstruction – Six Years of the Enhanced Grazz Process: Developments, Current Status and Future Prospects of Education in South-East Europe (2005) Centre for Educational Policy Studies Ljubljana & Kultur kontakt Austria, Wien, p. 99.


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http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/education_culture


Progress Towards the Lisbon Objectives in Education and Training - Commission staff working paper (2005) Commission of European Communities, SEC (2005) 419 National Strategy on Pre-university Education Development Ministry of Education and Science, Tirana. (2004), Ministry of Education and Science of Albania <www.mash.gov.al> Zgaga, P., The Importance of Education in Social Reconstruction – Six years of the Enhanced Grazz Process: Developments, Current Status and Future Prospects of Education in South-East Europe (2005) Centre for Educational Policy Studies Ljubljana & Kultur Kontakt Austria, Wien.


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