Seminar with pupils and parents representatives
on child labour prevention and elimination

The seminar with participation of pupils and parents representatives from two of the selected districts, Tirana and Korca, on child labour prevention and elimination, was organised in Tirana, on 18, 19 and 20 October.
25 participants, districts and schools leaders, representatives of pupils and parents, took part during the first and second days of the seminar, organised in Tirana. Some 10 representatives from Bathore area, including both principles of the schools, teachers, parents and pupils joined the seminar on the third day, organised in Bathore.
Theoritical explanations regarding the children’s rights according to the UN Convention and ILO Conventions 138 and 182, importance of the education for the future of the children and the society, role of trade unions in mobilising their members in providing quality education for all and elimination of child labour, were the main topics for the first day, introduced by the head of Child Labour Elimination Unit, acting in the framework of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Mrs. Shkelqesa Manaj.
She presented also the content of Manual on Non-Formal Education and SCREAM Modules published by FSASH and SPASH, with direct support of ILO-IPEC in Tirana.
Actual situation in both districts, role of the education trade unions, teachers, pupils and parents to avoid droping our from the school, as a precondition for the elimination of child labour, were the topics discussed during the second day of the seminar.
Third day was organised in Bathore school, in the presence of some other participants from the area, especially those teachers who are working concretely with pupils dropped out or at risk to drop out from the school, having also the support from parents and puplis themselves.
Both chairmen of FSASH and SPASH, Mr. Dobrushi and Kruja, took part during all the three days of the seminar, giving a direct contribution to the discussions and elaboration of the working program.
The discussions were based on the concrete situation resulted by the filled in questionnaires, especially in the eight pilot schools from both districts. Teachers, pupils and parents talked about concrete cases already resulting in turning of some pupils back in the school, or preventing some others from dropping out.
Participants from both districts considered the seminar very useful for their work and promised their continues engagement to fulfil the objectives, working together, teachers, pupils and parents.
Reorganisation of pupils and parents groups, especially in 8 pilot schools, aiming to enlarge this number in the near future and improve their collaboration with teachers working groups already finctioning in these schools; improvement of the collaboration with schools’ administration, especially regarding the functioning of Pupils Governments and Parents Councils, aiming their better engagement in child labour prevention and elimination as well as improvement of the collaboration with local government authorities, especially regarding the implementation of the law on compulsory education, were some of the main points of the working program elaborated during this Seminar.