SOCIAL INCLUSION in EDUCATION in ALBANIA

1. SOCIAL INCLUSION in EDUCATION in ALBANIA Tirana, on 15 of march 2012

2. Four basic strategies for SI • National Strategy of Pre-university Education Development 2004-2015, • National Strategy on Persons with Disabilities • National Strategy for Roma • National Strategy for Socio-Economic Development • Albania made significant progress in social protection and social inclusion areas reforming the whole previously existing system. Big efforts have been done for improving the whole system and in particular for improving education and employment systems. The figure provides an overview of the broad areas considered by social inclusion in Albania, covered by specific sector strategies. • The state considers also priority tasks regarding Employment, vocational education and training, qualification, and employment services. Employment offices are already established at central and local level to accomplish the right of all resident nationals in Albania to employment, to take professional advice, to receive qualification for employment, and to encourage the employment of vulnerable groups.

3. Target Groups It is agreed to consider as disadvantaged categories those included in the list that the Albanian Government[1] has adopted for education, training and employment promotion programmes, namely: • Long term unemployed; • People with socio-economic problems receiving social assistance; • People receiving unemployment benefit; • First entrants in the labor market, aged 18-25 years; • People over 45 years of age, who do not have any education higher than the secondary education or its equivalent; • Children discriminated/endangered • People with disability; • People from Roma and Egyptian communities. Ref. [1]Government Decree Nr. 48, date 16.01.2008, “On the Employment promotion programmes for registered unemployed belonging to vulnerable categories”.

4. Social Inclusion Policies • Government adopted this schema

5. Social Inclusion Policies Social inclusion has been subject of analyses also by EC Progress Reports (PR) especially with regards to the socially vulnerable and persons with disabilities, and Roma population. Following above analyses, European Commission (EC) drew four conclusions to be considered by Albanian Government Institutions[1]: • There is a need for closer integration between different institutions in the system and closer co-operation between actors, while the reforms need to focus more on treating the system as a whole; • The system needs to ensure that it meets basic needs and responds to new social problems faced, in particular by women, children, people with disabilities, and migrants, through improved co-ordination between central and local governments and the community; • Improved partnerships with NGOs, social partners and businesses to supplement the limited regional and local government resources available, while avoiding increasing regional inequalities; • Alignment of statistical systems, improved information and improved analysis and evaluation of programmes. Ref. [1] European Commission, Social Inclusion and Social Protection in Albania, September 2008.

6. Social Inclusion in Education • Basic Education - The basic education in Albania is compulsory. The main concerns regarding social inclusion in this level of education are related to Roma pupils and could be summarized as follows: • While the registration data on Roma community are missing, the indications are that the Roma school ‘enrolment rate is very low. It is stated that “the majority of Roma children do not go to school due to deep poverty of Roma families, parent’s limited perspective, low level of education prevailing among Roma communities, and the clear tendency of children to join their parents to contribute to the survival of the family”[1]. Thus, according to RDEs data only 1,594 pupils in total followed basic education during the school year 2010-2011 This is a very low number for a community size estimated to be more than 40 thousand people out of which the number of children at the basic school age must be more than 6,400[2]. • In all country, Total enrolled Roma pupils in basic education 2010/2011in September 2010 was1594 • Number of Drop out was 104 [1] National Strategy for Improving Roma Living Conditions. [2] The calculation is based on the estimation that this group age represents 16.2% of the population (see INSTAT, Albania in Figures, 2009).

7. Social Inclusion in Education • The low attendance is more significant for Roma girls. While the ratio female/male of Roma community is about 50:50, the number of Roma girls enrolled in basic education represents only about 25% of the total number of Roma pupils. In addition, the number of girls enrolled in the upper level of the basic education is very low. In Elbasani District, for example, there are only 5 girls enrolled in this level[1] out of 66 pupils in total; • (iv) The number of class failed pupils in basic education at country level represents about 1% of the total pupils enrolled. However, in the case of Roma pupils the average indicator is about 6.5% and even higher in the target Districts (in Elbasani, Fieri and Lezha is about 7.2%, 9.1% and 8% respectively). Ref.: RDEs data for 2011/2012

8. Pupils with Disabilities Pupils with disabilities have different opportunities to attend basic education in Albania according to their type of disability confirmed by physicians: (i) Attending basic education in normal schools like the rest of the population; (ii) Attending specialized schools for disable children, and (iii) Attending classes at home assisted by professional teachers. • The total number of pupils attending basic education in the school year 2010/2011 using one of the above opportunities is 2,382 out of which 1,840 disable pupils attended basic education in normal schools and 22 pupils attended classes at home assisted by professional teachers[1]. In addition, there are 6 specialized schools for disable children in Tirana, Elbasani, Shkodra, Vlora, Korca and Durresi with a total number of about 520 pupils. • Recently, the concept of disability was replaced by the concept “pupils with specific needs” and includes in the developed countries up to 18% of the total number of children at the school age. Considering the total number of pupils of school age in the three target Districts (2,519 pupils) and the total number of pupils attending basic education (58,011 pupils), this indicator is about 4.3%. One of the main reasons of this large discordance is related to the attitude of Albanian families to don’t declare the disability of their children due to the mentality of the Albanian society. • [1] Source: MoES, January 2012.

9. Pupils with Disabilities [1] This number refers only to pupils declared as being disabled.

10. Free distribution of textbooks According to a joint Ministerial Order of Minister of Education and Science and Minister of Finance[1], several specific target groups of pupils attending pre university education benefits up to 100% compensation for their textbooks as following: • (i) Pupils from families that are beneficiaries of Social Aide (Ndihma Ekonomike); • (ii) Pupils from families with disable members; • (iii) Roma pupils; • (iv) Pupils from emigrants’ families; • (v) Pupils with orphan status; • (vi) Pupils belonging to families where headcount benefits pension of disability and other family members are unemployed; • (vii) Pupils belonging to families where the headcount benefits retirement pension and other family members are unemployed; • (viii) Pupils from families where the headcount benefits monthly gross salary less than 30,000 Lek; • Considering the above regulation, about 14,000 pupils attending pre university education in three target regions benefited free textbooks (see Table 4). The major number of those pupils was from beneficiary families of Social Aide. The same trend was identified at country level in 2010 where about 84% of pupils that benefited free textbooks were from families under Social Aide Scheme Ref.[1] Ministerial Order N0. 32, date 4.06.2011.

11. Free distribution of textbooks Beneficiaries of free textbooks according to target groups

12. Secondary Education • The low access of pupils from families living in rural areas and the very low interest of Roma pupils to attain secondary education represent the main Government concerns for this level of education. • The number of Roma pupils enrolled in the General Secondary Education is very limited. Thus for example, in Elbasani District there is only one pupil enrolled in “Mahir Domi” gymnasium. In Fieri District there are 3 Roma pupils enrolled while in Lezha District there are no Roma pupils enrolled in the general secondary education. This is related to the following main reasons: • (i) The very limited number of Roma pupils finalizing basic education; • (ii) Lack of interests for this level of education by Roma families. • While the objective is that by 2013 about 40% of pupils enrolled in secondary education follow VET system[1], in the school year 2010/2011 this indicator is in average less than 20%. • The VET system is almost out of interests for Roma pupils.This is confirmed by the extremely limited number of them enrolled in VET schools. In Elbasani District there were not Roma pupils enrolled in the VET schools in the last ten years. In Fieri District there were only 3 Roma pupils enrolled in the last 3 years. In Lezha District there were not Roma pupils enrolled in the VET schools in the last 5 years. Ref: National Strategy for Pre-university Education.

13. OPEN OFFERTS IN VET The role of VET in the economic empowerment of women and men in Albania cannot be analyzed or treated as a stand-alone issue. Therefore, we consider VET in conjunction with the educational system, the labor market needs, national and international development policies, and with those dynamics that deeply impact on our position as women and men in society (gender roles and relations). We offer: • Free of charge part-time vocational scools (evening schools) are open for the first time in the school year 2011-2012 to allow adult persons with no vocational qualifications to receive a formal qualification that facilitate their integration in the labor market. • Particular target gropus that have not been able to attend regular school (such as Roma people, unemployed, returned imigrants etc.) are enrolled in such type of school.

14. Financial support • The MoES have undertaken measures to support and improve the access to vocational schools of students living in rural areas, with limited resources to afford transport and accommodation expenses, even in north and north-east districts. Such category of students are reimbursed by the state for travelling expenses or food and accomodation expenses in the dormitories by scholarships. • MoES provide financial support (scholarships) even for the students who study in some specific qualifications, like agriculture, construction, forestry etc.

15. CURRICULA IN VET • In the Frame-curricula (central one) and school curricula for all VE branches/profiles, in all levels, the “entrance requirements” are modified to allow students with difficulties to attend vocational schools, • to be certified and to facilitate their integration in the labor market. • Vocational schools are authorised to adapt the national frame-curricula and the school conditions according to the particular situation of students with difficulties.

16. An effective instrument - coaching cycle approach • The main goal of the coaching cycle approach is to increase the employability of (young) vulnerable individuals by supporting them to be integrated in the labor market, be it through employment or self-employment. • the coaching cycle approach needs to be understood as an approach bringing together the two elements of the (i) support and accompaniment the individuals and (ii) cooperation and coordination with and between relevant stakeholders. • The coaching cycle for employment builds on the cooperation with local NGO and is implemented under a two-layer approach, i.e. (a) training of coaches, and (b) implementation of the coaching cycle with participants. Partner NGO organize groups of beneficiaries from vulnerable groups and accompany them on their individual paths into employment. • In short, the coaching cycle approach is a systematic and structured approach where vulnerable individuals are accompanied by a coach over a longer period of time going through several steps contributing to increased employability.

17. Inclusive Education as part of changing teachers’ mindset • Accreditation of Training Programs • Enhancement of competition among training providers in the market. • Involvement of faculties in pre-service and in-service teacher training. • Teaching as a regulated profession. • Establishment of the mentoring system and improvement of the teaching quality. The teacher is a primary factor in the implementation and success of comprehensive education

18. Teacher Competences for Inclusive Education Teachers are encouraged to reflect upon and discuss their understanding of the competences needed for inclusive education. They identify certain skills they consider of vital importance to in modifying their teaching methods, classroom management and relationship with students and parents in order to accommodate the demands of an increasingly diverse group of students on the basis of their current practices. These skills include the ability to: • Develop an understanding of diversity and the right of every child to learn and develop in the school nearest to their home • Gain knowledge about various disabilities and how they influence the learning processes of a child develop empathy and patience in dealing with both students with SEN and their parents • Be open and actively seek knowledge on student-centered teaching methodologies and individualized • Planning and teaching in order to meet the demands of students with SEN; develop and implement IEPs based on the specific learning ability of the pupil and create specific instructions for students with learning difficulties. This involves setting specific, often lower, standards of expected achievement for some students. • Develop and administer individual tests for students with SEN based on their specific learning abilities and level of academic achievement

19. Teacher Competences for Inclusive Education • Differentiate delivery of classes adapting them to the specific needs of pupils / students • Consult and work in teams with school psychologists, social workers (so far mostly provided by local NGOs) and parents whenever possible (such action has been rare to date)–and cooperate with child developmental psychologists, hearing and speech therapists, physiotherapists and psychiatrists • Plan for other pupils in the class to help deliver parts of the lesson and support pupils with SEN to learn and socialize in classroom and outdoors activities • Use group-work in creating create groups of pupils with mixed abilities and ethnic and social backgrounds when applying student-centered teaching methods • Share information and expertise with parents and work with and learn from the expertise offered by DPOs (when available) and other interest groups, and help create, maintain and make use of a resources room within the school

20. Positive practices Referring to the new developments (legal, curricular or administrative ) and the expected reforms on social inclusion ,respectively focusing on the marginalized groups, the Ministry of Education and Science, and The Institute for Educational Development has focused on the following: Implementing the indicators of the “National Action Plan for the Decade of Roma Inclusion 2010-2015”, through the accomplishment of objectives such as: • Strategic Goal: Improving the Roma Minority educational situation ; • Objective 2: Eliminating exclusive and discriminating attitudes of the school and the community towards the Roma people and transforming cultural diversity into one; • Reviewing the school curricula at all levels for the language used towards the Roma minority and including Roma history and culture in the curricula; • 141 subject curricula reviewed at all K-12 levels for the discriminatory language used toward the Roma minority, and the existent gaps for the inclusion of the Roma history and culture in the curricula. Workshops/trainings for teachers on the creation of a school friendly environment; • Training of 25 TOT’s from the National School of Trainers about the Roma issue • Training seminars about teaching in a multi-cultural environment. • Training of teachers – about 300 teachers from Korça and Gjirokastra of the elementary and grade schools • Development of manuals about teaching in a multi-cultural environment, as well as periodic training of teachers in the corresponding sessions.

21. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION !