She highlighted the provision of an assistant teacher for every child with special needs as one of the most important initiatives aimed at fostering inclusivity in education.

“One of the most significant initiatives concerns the provision of an assistant teacher for every child with special needs. Previously, the ratio was one assistant teacher for every four children; by 2027, we will reach a ratio of one assistant teacher for every single child. This is a highly ambitious program, especially considering that the number of students with special needs in the pre-university education system has risen from 4,500 to 6,039 for the current school year—an increase from the approximately 4,000 students in this category recorded for the 2024–2025 period. This is partly due to an increase in the number of children falling into this category, but also because the Ministry of Education has expanded the age range for support—now covering children and young people aged 3 to 19, with the age limit extended to 21 for certain groups,” stated Minister Kumbaro.

Furthermore, Minister Kumbaro announced that 500 million lekë from the 2027 education budget will be allocated to the “After-School” program, extending the time students spend at school as much as possible—up until 5:00 PM.

Regarding the funding for the construction and reconstruction of educational facilities, Minister Kumbaro noted that, “For the 2027–2029 period, we are planning approximately 120 such projects, with a budget of around 88 million euros. /e.i/a.f/r.e/p.s./

Kumbaro has invited all active teachers, those on waiting lists, retired teachers, as well as artisans and professionals from the arts sector, to apply and contribute to the program. “Demand for this program has grown significantly. While we initially launched in 408 schools across Albania, we are receiving widespread requests to expand—specifically by extending program hours until 5:00 PM to better align with parents’ work schedules. To achieve this, we need to strengthen our team. We are launching a third call for trainers, offering a compensation of 1,000 ALL per hour. Thanks to the 2027 budget, we have fully secured €5.5 million in funding dedicated entirely to the ‘After School’ program,” said Kumbaro.

Minister Kumbaro also said that program is expanding to include new modules and clubs. Science and foreign language clubs will join the existing lineup of homework support, theater, dance, visual arts, and crafts. As a result, applications are now open for STEM and foreign language teachers.

“We are providing all pre-university students the opportunity to stay at school longer—not only to complete their homework, but also to engage in other enriching, educational activities that allow them to create.” …relationships with one another. “It is necessary to expand the program with new modules; the new modules will cover science and foreign languages,” the minister announced.

The call, published on the official website of the National Agency for Pre-University Education, will remain open for two weeks for all teachers and trainers who meet the criteria. /k.s/j.p/p.s./

On social media, Kumbaro shared footage from the protest, which showed demonstrators throwing stones, breaking windows, and damaging other parts of the building.

In her statement, Kumbaro stressed that violence against institutions solves nothing and she called for dialogue.

“Nothing is solved by attacking institutions; dialogue is the only way ahead,” the Minister wrote in a social media post. /e.xh/ /a.g/p.s./

Minister of Education Mirela Kumbaro announced that the government has approved the draft law for the project.

“The government has approved the draft law for construction of the French Lyceum of Korça, establishing a new institution within the pre-university education system. While the ‘French Lyceum’ is a familiar term in the history of Albanian education, this is a new school that will offer a joint diploma—valid for both the Albanian and French *matura* (secondary school leaving examinations). This has been made possible through an agreement between our two governments, following a joint initiative by President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Edi Rama,” she stated.

Kumbaro emphasized that, “The Ministry of Education has been working intensively for the past two years to develop fully aligned curricula for a French Lyceum with a scientific focus.”

Highlighting the innovative aspects of this institution, Kumbaro noted that it will be a public school, free of charge for Albanian students. A new project has just begun in Korça, featuring new classrooms, a library, laboratories and a canteen.

“It is free for Albanian children, but also open to students from the region,” she stated.

The French Lyceum of Korça will be a high school with a scientific focus, operating in three languages: Albanian, English and French.

In her remarks, the minister of education explained that the legislation provides for curricula aligned with those of France, as well as instruction by French teachers—working alongside Albanian educators for subjects taught in Albanian, such as the Albanian language, literature and the history of Albania. /m.q/r.e/j.p/p.s./

Minister of Education Mirela Kumbaro delivered remarks at the opening ceremony, which was also attended by Andreas Schleicher, the OECD Director for Education and Skills.

Kumbaro emphasized the importance of quality education in developing the skills to express ideas and find solutions through dialogue—a point she made with reference to recent events in the capital.

“Like many European capitals, Tirana is facing a wave of civil unrest. In these public clashes, the line between constructive social activism and mob mentality is dangerously thin. Therefore, we must employ every available means to understand what needs to change in our approach—including within our educational bureaucracy, which moves far more slowly than the adrenaline coursing through our students,” she said.

Kumbaro added that, “We share one principle: children and young people must have the space to express their opinions, ask questions, demand change and even disagree.”

However, the minister continued, their safety, well-being and right to learn must always remain at the core of our responsibilities.

Furthermore, Kumbaro highlighted efforts such as the modernization of curricula, the development of training modules on the sustainable use of technology and artificial intelligence for both teachers and students, the “After School” program, and the “National Reading Movement 2.0”—all of which are initiatives designed to foster critical judgment, creative thinking, and a curiosity to learn more. Albania showed significant improvement in the results of the international PISA 2025 test compared to 2022. According to OECD data, Albania’s scores increased by 65 points in mathematics, 59 points in science, and 50 points in reading. /p.s./

Kumbaro stated that she is following with great concern the events of the past two days surrounding and inside the Ministry of Education building and other institutions.

“I have the utmost respect for students’ right to demand ever more from institutions; however, civic student protest and violence against public buildings and property—violence against the workplaces of public servants and especially against education staff—are two different things,” she said.

“Beyond the investments already made—and those continuing—at every university in the country, over 12,000 students from the poor families receive financial support for their studies each year; more than 40,000 students benefit from reduced tuition or fee waivers; and hundreds of high-achieving students, as well as those pursuing priority programs the country needs, receive scholarships and monthly support equivalent to the minimum wage of 500 euros,” Kumbaro emphasized.

Minister Kumbaro stated that the future is built in lecture halls—through vision, knowledge, reasoned arguments and responsibility.

“Do not let anyone incite you to violence. Your voice is powerful precisely because it is expressed through ideas and dialogue,” Kumbaro concluded.

/e.i/r.e/p.s./

Education Minister Mirela Kumbaro congratulated the university’s academic staff, researchers, students and wider community, crediting their work in strengthening academic quality, research and internationalisation.

Six other Albanian universities have been given “Reporter” status in the ranking, Kumbaro said, describing this as a step towards their inclusion in international university rankings.

“This result is a reason to recognise the work that has been done, but also an incentive to continue strengthening quality, research and internationalisation across Albania’s universities,” Kumbaro said.

The University of Tirana is placed in the 2,001+ band in the 2027 rankings, which cover universities from 118 countries and territories worldwide.

The university said the ranking reflected years of work to strengthen research, academic capacity, institutional development and international cooperation.

It said that process had included expanding internationally and nationally funded projects, with the university acting as both coordinator and partner in programmes including Horizon Europe, Erasmus+ KA2 and INTERREG.

The projects have expanded opportunities for research, innovation, academic mobility and international cooperation, the university said.

/k.s/r.e/a.f/u.sh/

In a social media post, Minister of Education Mirela Kumbaro called for cooperation among students, parents and teachers to enforce these rules and create a safe, conducive learning environment.

“As the new school year begins, we are tightening the rules and taking all necessary measures to ban the use of mobile phones in schools,” Kumbaro wrote.

She emphasized that implementing these measures requires the commitment of the entire school community, urging students, parents and teachers to work together to keep the school a space where learning and child development remain the priority.

“Restricting phone use aims to help improve student concentration during lessons and strengthen communication and cooperation within the school community,” Kumbaro highlighted. Minister Kumbaro called upon teachers, students, and parents to work together to keep the school a calm and safe environment—one where learning takes center stage, students remain focused and teachers can fully dedicate themselves to the children’s education and development.

“No phones—more focus, communication and cooperation,” said Kumbaro.

In accordance with school rules, the students must hand over their phones—placing them in the designated classroom drawer or box—from the start of lessons until the end of the school day. /p.s./

She focused on the newly issued instruction for the 2026-2027 school year, focusing on the ban on cell phones during classes, the code of ethics for teachers and educational staff, as well as on creating a friendlier and welcoming environment for all students on the first day of school.

“We are restoring the ban cell phones, starting with teachers. Last year, we also approved the Code of Ethics for teachers, security officers, and psychosocial service employees. When I talk about the Code of Ethics, I am not just talking about appearance, but especially about communication,” explained the minister.

Further on, Minister Kumbaro focused on school safety, clarifying public opinion and the community of parents, whose children attend the schools selected for the “Smart City” project, on the data of the intelligent cameras of this project, which will be monitored by the Monitoring Center at the State Police.

“It was initially advanced as a pilot project in 20 schools in Tirana and Kamza with smart cameras. These are smart cameras that detect dangers from cigarette smoke, objects defined in the catalog as dangerous and the faces of people reported as dangerous persons”, emphasizing further that the cameras are an auxiliary tool that does not replace the attention and communication of the education system chain.

During the upcoming school year, there begins for the first time implementation of the “After School” program in 408 educational institutions throughout the country, which aims to offer students of lower and higher secondary education quality time, creative, socializing activities and to keep them away from the harmful use of technology.

Meanwhile, textbook distribution has begun. Books are free for lower secondary education, with grades 1–5 receiving new copies annually. /k.s/p.s./

On World Nature Conservation Day, Minister of Education Mirela Kumbaro highlighted the significance of scientific research and innovation in function of environmental protection and sustainable development.

“This is a concrete commitment to place scientific research and innovation at the service of the environment and sustainable development,” said Kumbaro.

The financing of laboratories and research projects aims to support the development of scientific and innovative capacities in areas related to nature protection, sustainable use of resources and addressing environmental challenges. /m.m/a.f/p.s./