Prime Minister Edi Rama met today in Lushnje with teachers serving in the city’s schools. The Fier district has 196 public schools, and the number of teachers is more than 2,700. During 2024 alone, around 478 teachers have been employed through the “Teachers for Albania” portal. Meanwhile, in Lushnje, there are 780 teachers employed.
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Prime Minister Edi Rama: Thank you very much also for being here on a day when, after completing your noble work and spending all morning with children and with boys and girls a bit older, but still children, you have found the time to come and have a conversation.
The truth is that not long ago, I had a conversation with teachers from all over Albania, the Minister of Education visited almost everywhere, and I accompanied her on some occasions.
I am also very glad that today we can discuss education, the challenges, the concerns, but a significant part of the concerns we had, we no longer have.
It was absolutely uncertain to work in public education and think calmly about the future because the future could bring dismissal, and the worst part was that the dismissals were done arbitrarily, for political reasons, for the sake of interests, to make room for someone else, who could even lack the proper education.
Another major pressure was the intense push to participate in rallies and elections, even having to provide proof of voting in a certain way, as demanded by the power of the time.
On the other hand, I’m really pleased that we have completely shifted the entire path of merit for teachers, starting with recruitment, which now happens through the “Teachers for Albania” portal that has become law, and continuing with career advancement based on your work, your evaluations, and the years of service.
I am also glad that we have finally resolved the issue of testing, and at the same time, we have completely overhauled the conditions in schools.
Today, the average salary for teachers is 930 euros, which is certainly much more than it was, but it still needs to be higher, and we are fully aware of this. So, with all of that said, I thank you again for being here, for your interest, and anyone who wishes can take the floor.
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Good afternoon, Mr. Prime Minister. My name is Arta Dhamo, and I’ve been a teacher for 21 years. Our concern is salaries. You mentioned yourself that our salaries have increased, and as someone with 21 years of experience in education, I feel that improvement and know how much they have risen. But I also know that increasing salaries has been a priority for you and your government. Could you tell us what the plan is for salary increases in your fourth term?
Prime Minister Edi Rama: Look, we will soon take the next step in presenting our objectives. Today, Albania is different from what it once was, and the most important thing is that Albania today is one step away from realizing a very, very old dream. Of course, there was no European Union in the time of Skanderbeg, nor during the time of the Frashëri brothers and the other Renaissance figures, nor in the time of Ismail Qemali. However, there has always been a strong internal desire among Albanians to look to the West, to look as Naimi said: “Where the sun rises, there it sets,” and to be a part of Europe with all that Europe represents historically, culturally, and so on.
Our past, our roots, belong to that European cultural and civilizational basin. So, if we didn’t have a program, if we didn’t have objectives to achieve in all areas, and if we didn’t have a plan to realize them, we wouldn’t be in the position we are today, able to secure the European Union’s agreement to close negotiations by 2027. Our neighbors, North Macedonia, have waited many more years than we have and are still behind us. Serbia began negotiations when we received candidate status at the end of 2014, and they’ve been negotiating for 11 years. Montenegro opened its negotiations roughly at the same time, if not even earlier. We opened our negotiations last year, and we were dragged along for a long time with vetoes of various political natures. But from a work perspective, we have always done the work and I’ve always said this to them, I’ve said it within the government, to the team, and even when it was discussed publicly: “Look, we will do the work. We will do the work as if we had opened the negotiations from the beginning, so that when we finally do open them, we will be advanced.”
The European Union, through SIGMA, has ranked our country first in the region for financial management. And of course, we have shown a very strong proof of our will with the justice reform and the entire fight against corruption.
So, without a doubt, in Albania in 2030, or on the path to Albania 2030, we want to make much bigger steps than we have made so far and make them possible.
However, one thing is certain: if today, according to INSTAT—not according to me, not according to us, or the Ministry of Finance—today, if we have an average salary of 830 euros in the Republic of Albania, which means the combined salary of the public and private sectors, this alone is a very meaningful figure for the position we are in.
We were together with Belinda in Greece, along with some other colleagues, at the Job Fair, where we compared our salaries with those in Greece in similar sectors for similar work. I’m not saying that in every sector and in everything we have salaries that are competitive with Greece, not yet, but we will have them, which means that, for sure, teachers’ salaries, public administration workers’ salaries, doctors’ salaries, soldiers’ salaries, and police officers’ salaries will all increase further because there’s no other way.
For example, we have managed to be competitive with banks at certain levels because we need highly skilled people in specific areas, but especially due to the negotiations with the EU.
Secondly, any news of an increase is good news for the perspective of pensions because it also raises income from contributions. When the state becomes a driver for increasing private sector wages, it also benefits from those private sector wages, which in turn increases the insurance fund. Today, our insurance fund is much more solid than it was, and for this reason, we are very optimistic about pensions.
We absolutely need the EU to guarantee individual freedom, to ensure that individual freedom is not dependent on who governs, because those who once fired teachers are now the ones asking for votes again. These things didn’t happen 50 years ago; it’s the same mentality. If it weren’t for that mentality, they wouldn’t keep repeating the same things endlessly, expecting a different result. Equality before the law is guaranteed in the EU. Once you become part of the EU, it doesn’t matter as much who governs here because certain things can no longer be changed. You become part of a different family, a structure where you can no longer move as freely as when you were only manipulating your own chain. Equality before the law is at risk, as you can see.
Today, there are two sides when it comes to the justice reform and SPAK. Those who are criticizing and supposedly targeting SPAK, they have nothing in their hands. They see SPAK as their only way to fight against us. Meanwhile, we see SPAK entirely differently; we see it as the tool that has been missing in Albania since 1912.
However, once we join the EU, the issue of equality before the law will no longer be up for debate. Joining the EU changes everything. It changes our relationship with history; history will no longer hold us back with its shadows. It transforms our relationship with the future and completely reshapes the individual relationship of every Albanian with the world. Because the moment we join the EU, every Albanian will hold a European passport.
Thus, with Albania’s accession to the European Union, Albania becomes as integrated as the entire European Union. The EU becomes as accessible as Albania, in the sense that just as you travel from Lushnje to Shkodër, you will be able to travel from Albania to Belgium, Germany, or anywhere else.
Hello, Mr. Prime Minister. I am a teacher with 35 years of experience in education. First, I would like to thank you for being here today. Secondly, we are very pleased with the initiative you took to close TikTok, as we discussed this matter in our school with the Parents’ Board, the teachers’ council, and the psycho-social service. This was absolutely necessary, especially for children who could spend hours on TikTok. The concern from parents was that it was causing problems not only with their education but also with their health, including vision issues, loss of attention, focus, and other related problems. This initiative from the government was very positive, and I believe it will be successful. I also want to thank you for your words and for keeping your promise regarding the significant increase in salaries. After 35 years of work, the salary I receive is more than sufficient—around 830 euros, as you mentioned.
Prime Minister Edi Rama: I want to say a few words about TikTok. We are here to protect our people, the citizens of the Republic of Albania, and of course, we are here to protect the Republic itself. We are here to protect our children from the significant risks posed by social media, especially TikTok. However, we are also aware of the positive aspects that TikTok may have. For this reason, we decided to close it after consulting with 95% of the population. Sixty-five thousand teachers and parents participated in this consultation, and they overwhelmingly voted to shut it down. It’s a massive response, and based on this, we made the decision to close it. At the same time, we have opened a dialogue with the company. We’ve laid out all the concerns to the company and made it clear that we will not allow TikTok to continue operating and infiltrating our homes with unfiltered content that directly affects our children.
For example, we’ve outlined a series of issues and made them available to the company. To be fair, their response was something I didn’t expect—they’ve been cooperative and promised that they will prepare and come up with a plan to implement several protective measures. For instance, they don’t have corrections or interventions in the Albanian language. For example, in English, their algorithm can block certain words or ensure that specific words don’t repeat. But for Albanian, they don’t have that capability. The closure has already started. Technically, it’s not like switching off lights, it’s not like a blackout where energy is cut off. The closure has begun. Day by day, the access to TikTok will be restricted, and within a period of 10 to 15 days, there should be a full blackout.
We absolutely must join the EU. The window won’t stay open indefinitely. It’s open now because our internal circumstances align with theirs, and they want it. Until recently, it’s not that they didn’t want it, but they always viewed it as a long-term goal. Today, everyone is in agreement that Albania must join the EU. We are not Türkiye; we are not a military superpower. We are a small country, but we’ve carved out our place. We’ve earned our spot, and we cannot afford to miss this opportunity.
I am the principal of the “Libohova” school. First of all, I would like to thank you on behalf of the staff, parents, and students for the reconstruction of our school. When I started working at that school, the yard was really like a swamp. When it rained, we would bring bricks to get inside the school. The sports area used to be a parking lot for cars to wash. Now, it has been completely transformed. In your speech, you mentioned many achievements; the hiring of teachers, meritocracy, the introduction of psychologists in schools, the infrastructure in schools, etc. These are certainly achievements, but there are still things to be done. Regarding the updated textbooks, I think our textbooks are similar to those in the EU, but we need more development in technology so that schools also develop technologically to adapt the textbooks to what we teach the students. Secondly, there has been a plan in schools, as far as I know, regarding bullying and the internet, and there needs to be even greater cooperation between parents and teachers. Thank you!
Prime Minister Edi Rama: I thank you again because you gave me the opportunity to mention another project that is starting. I mean, we have completed the project, we have signed the agreement for not only its implementation but also its financing with the United Arab Emirates. It’s a project that will cover all road axes of cities and national axes together with schools, with 20-hour digital surveillance. The project has had extraordinary success in the United Arab Emirates and some other countries, and it’s a very advanced project with very advanced technology.
It focuses on massively reducing bullying, significantly increasing school attendance, and improving relationships within the classroom. In fact, everything is being done under the supervision of a “third eye,” which is the school administration, and it is also the “third eye” of the parent community. So, at any moment, whether it’s the principal or the staff members assigned by them to monitor the smooth running of classes, they will have the necessary oversight.
The decrease in bullying is remarkable. The data from the program’s results clearly show how effective it has been. This element will not only strengthen safety but also enhance the relationship and understanding between teachers and parents.
Secondly, we are committed to further promoting sports in schools. It has already yielded positive results, as you know, but we want to introduce even more sports. Our goal is to ensure that no child is left without participating in a sport. Not every child can play basketball or volleyball, but there are other options, such as running or even seated activities like chess. Right now, there are 32 smart classrooms in schools across the Fier district, as well as smart clubs where children learn coding and programming, among other activities.
We also aim to further develop arts and crafts. My suggestion is for the Education Directorate: the “school farm” initiative in the Fier district should serve as a model, though it’s not yet widespread. There are a few examples, but it’s not the norm. We should have a school farm in every school, not only to introduce children to technology but also to provide them with a sense of the land and the process of production from it. It is an incredibly difficult job, it’s a mission, it’s not just a job. But at least for teachers, we should remove the extra difficulties. Teachers are mothers, they have families, they have children, and they carry a great responsibility. From financial compensation to respect and recognition of their work, it’s very important that they feel valued. This is something that should never be lacking, just as it hasn’t been lacking until now, and I am confident it will improve even further in the future.
Thank you very much! We were honored by your participation today. It was a very productive conversation, and we’ve received great feedback. We hope you had the same positive experience.
