Activities in the framework of FNV/AOb Project implementation

Seminar on child labour prevention and elimination with participation of teachers,
pupils and parents from Fieri and Durresi

30 participants, representatives of teachers, pupils and parents, took part in this seminar, organised in Durres, on 23, 24 and 25 October 2008.
Both chairmen of FSASH and SPASH, Mr. Dobrushi and Kruja, representatives from the educational directorates from both districts and Headmasters from the nine pilot schools,
took also part in the seminar, giving a direct contribution to the discussions and elaboration of the working program.
Three were the main presentations during the seminar:
- Mr. Dobrushi made a concrete presentation on collaboration among teachers, pupils and parents, as a precondition for concrete results in our work, aiming to reduce dropping out from the school and eliminate child labour.
- The Chairman of Parents Confederation of Albania, Mr. Zenel Sina, made an interesting presentation on the role of parents and their collaboration with teachers, pupils and their respective organs in schools.
- The representative of Fieri District Educational Directorate, Mihal Krimce, spoke about the special role of school administrations and educational directorates in this collaboration system.
Actual situation in both districts, role of the trade unions, teachers, pupils and parents to avoid dropping out from the school, as a precondition for the elimination of child labour, were the main topics discussed during the seminar.
The discussions were based on the concrete situation resulted by the filled in questionnaires, especially in the nine pilot schools from both districts. Teachers, pupils and parents talked about concrete cases already resulting in turning of pupils back in the school, or preventing others from dropping out.
More than 47 teachers from these schools are working with more than 105 pupils, reporting more than 42 pupils turned in the school or out of risk to drop out from school
-Ariana Plaku from Roskoveci, (Fieri district), school, told in the seminar that 5 pupils are turned back in school, after individual work of teachers with them, meanwhile the work is under the process with other 5 pupils from the 9th classes, who considers themselves as grown and are at risk to drop out from school.
- Festim Meta from Zhupan, (Fieri district), school explained details about their work with 3 pupils dropped out from school, engaging also their classmates, dealing also with their parents, resulting in their turning back in school.
- Almost the same methods were reported by teachers Arqile Bitri, in Levani, (Fieri district), school, Marjeta Tafa in Mbrostar Ura, (Fieri district), school, Majlinda Spahiu in Qemal Mici, (Durresi district), school, Fuat Zerdelia in Demokracia, (Durresi district), school, Nevruz Cizmja, Bajram Curri No.2, (Durresi district), school, where more than 30 teachers, are working individually with more than 65 pupils, turning in school or avoiding dropping out from school of more than 32 pupils.
It was very good for participants from Durresi district schools, participating in this joint seminar with representatives from Fieri district, where exists a valuable experience in concrete work with individual pupils, which will be very useful for their work during this school year and in the future.
Reorganisation of pupils and parents groups, especially in 9 pilot schools, aiming to enlarge this number in the near future and improve their collaboration with teachers working groups already functioning in these schools; improvement of the collaboration with schools’ administrations, 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.
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.

Meetings with child labour prevention and elimination working groups in the districts and pilot schools.

In Fieri and Tirana these meetings were organised gathering all groups and their members at the same meeting room and discussing common problems and obligations, also aiming to profit by the experience of each other. It was important that these meetings were organised soon after the new school year started, so it was the chance to talk about the new duties and obligations, also based on the work done from the previous years and preparation of the activities which will be organised in the near future.
The discussions were really concrete, speaking about individual pupils dropped out or at risk to abandon the school, respective reasons, working methods to be used and so on.
Representatives from the educational directories and administration of the schools took part in these meetings and considered the engagement of the trade unions in this work an important support to avoid pupils' dropping out from the school and eliminate child labour.
Both chairmen, Dobrushi and Kruja, also took and gave their contribution during the discussions. Being informed about the problems and difficulties encountered by the trade union activists in their work, they have informed the Minister of Education being met some days ago, asking for more support from the Ministry and educational directories in the respective districts.

Participants in the meeting informed about the work done, the situation regarding structures, membership and problems they are facing.
Good results and better situation resulted especially in some of the sections as Bulqiza, Kurbini, Puka and Tropoja. Difficulties were reported especially in Lushnje, Gramsh and Delvine for FSASH and Has and Sarande for SPASH.
Taking part in the meeting, both chairmen, Dobrushi and Kruja, asked for more concrete actions, involving more and more active members and insisted in reorganisation of their active structure in the respective districts. Following this meeting FSASH representatives were focused concretely in Gramshi and Berati sections where trade union sections were reorganised, electing active members in their leading bodies and starting effective work in most of the schools. The same was done by SPASH in Peqin and Delvine.