Preparative meetings and Monitoring Groups meetings

organised in “Halit Cota” and “Ahmet Zogu” schools,

in Bathore in the framework of Fair Childhood, GEW-Foundation

“Education Instead of Child Labour” Project implementation

The implementation of Fair Childhood, GEW-Foundation “Education Instead of Child Labour” Project “Teachers mobilisation and organising concrete activities to prevent and eliminate school dropout and child labour in Bathore area, Tirana district”, has been followed with special attention by FSASH and SPASH presidencies, their Kamza Sections, as well as by their trade union organizations in both “Halit Cota” and “Ahmet Zogu” schools.

As planned, Preparative meetings and Monitoring Groups meetings were organised on 25 September, (“Ahmet Zogu” school), and 1 October, (“Halit Cota” school), with participation of representatives from both schools.

These meetings were preceded by anticipatory meetings, with schools headmasters, trade union representatives and some active teachers, organised some days before them, aiming to take all the necessary measures, regarding the identification of  the situation, discussing Project objectives, activities to be organised, including preparations for these meetings, setting up Monitoring Groups and so on.

Special letters were prepared for Monitoring Groups leaders and each participant with the main concrete duties for Monitoring Groups members and other stakeholders.
Questionnaires were also prepared to be filled in for each pupils dropped out or at risk to drop out from school, subject of this Project implementation.

Wide preparative meetings were organised first in both schools, with participation of working groups members, pupils, parents, schools headmasters, representatives from Roma associations etc.

Chairman of SPASH, Nevrus Kaptelli, in “Ahmet Zogu” school, and Chairman of FSASH, Xhafer Dobrushi, in “Halit Cota” school, opened the meetings and spoke about the commitment of FSASH and SPASH to mobilise teachers and support their work to keep pupils in school, to reduce school drop out, to prevent and eliminate child labour, mentioning also the experience they have gained, especially in some districts where they have worked concretely also supported by AOb, FNV, EI, ILO-IPEC etc.

Project Coordinator, Stavri Liko, made the presentation in both schools on Project objectives, activities to be organised, working program and approaches to be used during this Project implementation, mentioning also that this Project is a direct contribution of
Fair Childhood, GEW-Foundation “Education Instead of Child Labour”, giving also some information about German Education Trade Union, GEW, and its commitment in elimination of child labour.

Heads of Monitoring Groups, Bukurosh Hoxha, (“Ahmet Zogu” school), and Hysen Koldashi, (‘Halit Cota”school), spoke about the actual situation in their respective schools, preparative measures and preparative work already done, objectives for each school and each group, their commitment to work concretely for Project objectives realisation, as well as problems to be solved during Project implementation.

After discussions, proposals and suggestions from teachers, pupils and parents, the following objectives were approved for each school:

In “Ahmet Zogu” school: out of 19 pupils dropped out from school, most of them working, the objective is to withdraw from working and return to school at least 12 of them, as well as, out of 65 pupils at risk to drop out from school, the objective is to integrate in school at least 60 of them.

In “Halit Cota” school: out of 18 pupils dropped out from school, most of them working, the objective is to withdraw from working and return to school at least 13 of them, as well as, out of 47 pupils at risk to drop out from school, the objective is to integrate in school at least 43 of them.

In both preparative meetings were mentioned that the work had already started, by identifying working children, dropped out or/and at risk to drop out from school, and organising Monitoring Groups and their respective pupils they will deal, through concrete individual work with each of them.

Special meetings with Monitoring Groups’ members, were organised after that.

Four monitoring groups, composed of 5 members each, (3 teachers, 1 pupil, 1 parent), were set up in each school.
Teacher Bukurosh Hoxha was nominated Head of Monitoring Groups in “Ahmet Zogu”  school and teacher Hysen Koldashi, was nominated Head of Monitoring Groups in “Halit Cota” school.
In these first meetings we organised everything regarding their functioning and concrete work to be organised in the framework of Project implementation.

In “Ahmet Zogu”  school each Monitoring Group is responsible for 4-5 pupils dropped out and 15-16 pupils at risk to drop out from school,

In “Halit Cota” school each Monitoring Group is responsible for 4-5 pupils dropped out and 12-13 pupils at risk to drop out from school.

Questionnaires were distributed to each teacher, member of these groups, explaining everything regarding their functioning and concrete work to be organised in the framework of Project implementation.
Working methods regarding individual plans, based on data gathered through individual filled in questionnaires and organising the individual concrete work with each of them. were also discussed widely.

It was also pointed out the fact that this way of organisation is only for personal responsibility and coordination actions, because the work with pupils will be done jointly with all other teachers, their classmates, their parents, involving, when necessary, also other stakeholders.
Working program, objectives and role of Monitoring Groups were also subject of discussions in these meetings.

School materials were also distributed for 100 pupils from both schools.

Special ceremonies were organised in both schools in the presence of all participants, including schools headmasters, Azem Kovaci and Mahmut Ajazi, both chairmen, Xhafer Dobrushi and Nevrus Kaptelli, representative of Kamza Region Educational Office, Mark Lleshi etc.

Each school handbag handled to 50 pupils from each school had inside more than 12 articles from school materials.

 
Participants and schools’ Headmasters, Azem Kovaci (“Ahmet Zogu” school), and Mahmut Ajazi, (“Halit Cota” school), appreciated very much this support from Fair Childhood, GEW-Foundation “Education Instead of Child Labour”, for this Project, including the contribution for school materials for 100 pupils from families which have problems in providing school materials for their children and expressed their commitment to work hard and realise Project objectives.

In the presence of more than 70 participants, (including Deputy Minister of Education and Sports, Nora Malaj, Deputy Minister of Social Welfare and Youth, Genta Sula, members of Parliament, other educational institutions and so on), in the Round Table
organized in Tirana, on 3 October, on the occasion of World Teachers’ Day, was also spoken about this Project, supported by Fair Childhood, GEW-Foundation “Education Instead of Child Labour” contribution and the upcoming visit of GEW President, Marlis Tepe, in Albania, in December this year.

Both Presidencies of FSASH and SPASH, express their gratitude to GEW and its Foundation Fair Childhood, GEW-Foundation “Education Instead of Child Labour” for this support, and ensure them that they will continue to work hard and realise this Project objectives.