Prime Minister Edi Rama has held on Thursday a meeting with teachers from all over Albania. During the meeting, he said that the govt. will increase the salary of teachers each year. The teacher will not be affected by politics and bureaucracy of education directorates any more.

In his speech, PM Edi Rama highlighted the importance of raising the professionalism of teachers who had been neglected as a second category for so long.
Rama went on saying that reform will include the school of directors, which will be a new institution for capacity building in school administration.

He recounted how school directors were involved in politics. “The old system used to give rewards for political affiliations or services rendered to political parties. We are on track to break with this tradition, albeit we fall far from the goal. To that purpose, the school of directors will help us a lot in this regard, drawing on the best practices and expertise,” Rama said.

PM added that the teaching reform will be far-sweeping and will consolidate the basis to make the teacher’s figure immune to politics and bureaucracy of education offices. Although many things are on the right track, a lot remains to be done.

The govt. programme includes further increase of teacher’s salary. It is a fact that the teacher’s salary has increased in our first term of office with reduction of income tax. We will push ahead with progressive increase of salaries, Rama said.
Furthermore, PM Rama outlined some of the goals for 2018, such as construction of 140 new schools for 40 thousand students, as well as 61 employment and career counselling centres.

“Out of 3 thousand students in vocational education, currently some 27 thousand students have enrolled in these schools with this number expected to hit over 54 thousand up to 2021: Each municipality will have at least one tailored vocational school to meet the needs of local market.