In his speech, Rama stated, “This meeting is not one that, as is often the case, brings the usual satisfaction of the electoral campaign, where you have the chance to meet many people. Rather, it is in the follow-up to a process that feels as though it happened just yesterday. Although only a few months have passed, it feels like it was much more recent. I am very pleased that today we can discuss education, the challenges, and the concerns, and many of the major concerns we once had are now a thing of the past. While new concerns have certainly arison, we no longer face the exceptional issue of teachers’ job insecurity.”

“It was entirely uncertain to work in public education and be able to think calmly about tomorrow, because tomorrow could bring dismissal or being tossed around like a ball to another place. Oftentimes, you would find yourserlf removed without actually being fired, forcing you to resign due to the impossibility of moving to that other place,” emphasized Rama.

Prime Minister Rama stated, “The worst part was that dismissals were carried out arbitrarily, based on political motives or personal interests, to vacate the place for someone else who might not have the necessary qualifications.”

One of the most unbelievable things, Rama continued, was when we began to address all those issues we found, including the presence in the system of nearly 500 teachers without the proper qualifications, who were being paid to teach subjects for which they had no formal education.

“Another significant issue was the immense pressure to participate in rallies and elections, to prove that you had voted in a certain way because that’s what the authorities of the time demanded. Thankfully, this is no longer the case. A few days ago, on March 7th, I saw in the reports I receive that a group of teachers had aligned with the opposition. I honestly felt very good about it because they were not afraid, no one told them not to go, and no one held them to account for the reasons they chose to participate. They faced no repercussions, because it is everyone’s right, after their public service, to live their own life, hold their own beliefs, and express their opinions. This was unimaginable just a few years ago,” emphasized Rama.

Prime Minister Rama stated, “I am very glad that you have established the entire merit-based journey for teachers, starting from recruitment through the ‘Teachers for Albania’ portal, which is now a law, all the way to their career advancement, with progression determined by the work they do, testing, and time spent in service.”

/k.s/ /a.f/sm/