Preparations for the start of the new school year have entered their final stage in schools across the country, while particular attention this year will be given to strengthening school safety through smart technology.
Prime Minister Rama today visited the historic “Partizani” High School, together with Minister of Education Mirela Kumbaro, where he saw first-hand the preparations for the new school year, the conditions provided at the school, and the implementation of the “Smart City” project, which also includes smart cameras aimed at enhancing safety within school premises.
“Partizani” High School, which has a tradition dating back to 1964, was reconstructed and renovated in 2023 and today provides modern facilities and conditions for approximately 600 students and teachers. The school is among 20 educational institutions where the smart camera system has begun to be implemented, with cameras installed in common areas.
“We are at Partizani High School, which was completely reconstructed and renovated in 2023, including the new gym. It is now a historic high school in the heart of Tirana, dating back to 1964, and is one of 20 schools – some lower secondary schools and some high schools – where we have installed the Smart City system, or smart cameras. This is a school with around 600 students,” Minister Kumbaro explained.
During the visit, Prime Minister Rama was introduced to the way the system operates. It enables real-time monitoring of common areas and provides alerts for situations requiring attention. The footage is connected online to the National Monitoring Centre and the State Police, while access is provided according to an established protocol, including the school principal, the authorised security officer and parents when they need to view a specific situation.
“We are very honoured to have joined the ‘Smart City’ project. We have approximately 30 cameras installed in the common areas. There are no cameras in classrooms, and we will see the rest of the technical infrastructure upstairs,” said the school principal.
Prime Minister Rama described the transition from traditional cameras to a new generation of smart cameras as an important step towards improving safety in schools. He stressed that the system does not merely record footage, but also provides real-time alerts for specific situations, giving school administrators and security officers an important tool for responding more quickly.
“We are moving from a generation of old cameras, which helped to a certain extent but were completely inadequate for monitoring situations in real time and obtaining a clear picture of overall patterns of behaviour in common areas, to a new generation of cameras that provides schools with a much higher level of security in managing all internal activity in common areas – not classrooms. At the same time, it gives parents the opportunity, whenever they wish, to have a real-time view of any situation involving their child. There will be no cameras in classrooms. Personally, I would like there to be cameras in classrooms as well, because we have seen examples of how their use in classrooms greatly contributes to maintaining order, preventing cheating and improving interaction among children. However, given that there is a clear restriction in this regard in European Union countries, we are not going to challenge that restriction. If, at some point, parents want this and request it, then we will consider it, but that is not our intention. What we are doing here is ensuring a real-time view of all common areas and providing a very strong ally for security officers and school administrators, because these cameras make it possible to identify in real time any person entering from outside who might escape the attention of the security officer. Any potentially suspicious activity on school premises can be detected. It is now absolutely impossible to smoke without being detected. So, this is a system we have worked very hard on,” Prime Minister Rama said.
The smart system is capable of identifying and flagging certain behaviours, serving as a preventive mechanism and assisting security staff, school administrators, teachers, psychologists and social workers in managing situations that could compromise safety within school premises.
The Prime Minister stressed that the expansion of the system is intended to provide greater safety and peace of mind for students, parents and school staff.
“We are very encouraged by this. There are currently 20 schools, and we will continue to increase that number. We have selected the schools with the largest student populations and those where there is also a need to produce an assessment of this project so that, after a number of months, we can gather feedback from teachers, parents and others.
“And we are absolutely convinced that once this initial period of doubt passes for some people – because, thank God, the misinformation has not affected everyone – everyone will feel much more at ease about sending their children to school,” the Prime Minister said.
As part of the measures to strengthen school safety, Minister of Education Kumbaro announced that approximately 90 new school security officers will also be certified during September. They will work alongside psychologists, social workers and teaching staff, creating an integrated approach to student safety and well-being.
“We are dealing with cooperation among all the elements involved in ensuring safety. During September, we will certify approximately 90 new school security officers. The security officer is a role that has been introduced in recent years. Psychologists and social workers are also professionals who contribute to communication, to the psychological stability of adolescents and to supporting teachers, as well as to improving safety standards. All of these elements work together. None of them excludes the others,” Minister Kumbaro said.
Regarding the presence of State Police officers near school premises, Minister Kumbaro stated: “For at least three years, in cooperation with the State Police – and we will also make a further joint announcement with the State Police and the Minister of the Interior – patrols will be present at all schools, not only in Tirana, where the population is larger, from 7:30 in the morning until students have entered the schools, and they will also be present when classes end. What we introduced last year, having recognised that the main break is a time when students may begin to vent some of their frustrations and tensions, is that patrols will also be stationed at school entrances during the main break, because that is when interaction between the school and the outside environment is at its highest.”
Another measure being introduced for the start of the new school year concerns communication with parents and students. The first day of school will be dedicated to communication and getting to know one another, with the aim of ensuring that parents and students receive the necessary information and explanations directly from school administrators and teachers on school premises.
This year, 42 rehabilitated schools and sports facilities will open their doors to students across the country, while the smart camera project will continue to expand, with the aim of gradually extending it to other schools.
