TIRANA, Feb 25 /ATA/ The event titled “The Albanian Language as a State Policy: Standardization and Certification in the Diaspora” was held on Wednesday at the Faculty of History and Philology in Tirana. Organized by the Center for Publications for the Diaspora, the event featured the Minister of Education, Mirela Kumbaro, the Rector of the University of Tirana, Artan Hoxha, along with professors and academics in the field.
At this event, the Minister of Education, Mirela Kumbaro, announced the commencement of a new phase for the Center for Diaspora Publications, which ensures sustainable, standardized, and certified teaching of the native language. This marks the center as the benchmark for the establishment of the National Agency for the Albanian Language in the Diaspora.
“The Center for Diaspora Publications, following the unification of curricula and textbooks for the diaspora, teacher training, the development of programs, and the integration of bilingualism and learning through culture, is entering a new phase. This phase ensures the improvement of the educational journey for Albanian students through their native language in a sustainable, standardized, and certified manner. According to data from this center, 326 schools/courses where Albanian is taught have been registered, along with around 850 Albanian language teachers and approximately 25,000 students currently attending Albanian language classes. The total potential of children in our diaspora, aged 5-14, is 270,000 students, and from ages 5-19, it is 424,000 students, a potential that remains largely untapped.”
“Albanian can no longer be the language learned solely in the family, community, or neighborhood; it requires us to prepare for a new phase. In this way, the Center for Diaspora Publications is expected to become the reference institution for the establishment of the National Agency for the Albanian Language in the Diaspora, a structure that will ensure the continuity, quality, and harmonization of educational policies for the Albanian language abroad, in close collaboration with universities and research institutions,” said Minister Kumbaro, specifying that a work calendar has also been prepared, starting with the review of the law by 2026.”
The Minister of Education highlighted the role of the Faculty of History and Philology in training Albanian language teachers, preserving its scientific standards, and developing linguistic thought. She also emphasized the partnership in creating Albanian language textbooks.
The Rector of the University of Tirana, Artan Hoxha, discussed the need for a new state strategy regarding the Albanian language and culture in the diaspora, emphasizing the importance of cooperation with Albanian universities.
The Dean of the Faculty of History and Philology, Mark Marku, emphasized the role of the Faculty and the Department of Albanian Language in developing policies for the Albanian language.
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