The Albanian Minister of Education, Evis Kushi, approved a set of instructions listing the government’s priorities for the upcoming academic year.
The 16-page document applies only to kindergartens and pre-university education.
The instructions remind teachers they will need to fill any gaps in knowledge that resulted from the disruption caused by the pandemic.
The country-wide lockdown that lasted between March and May 2020 forced many public schools to shut classes early. The 2020-2021 academic year saw a mix of online schooling and in-person learning with shortened schedules. The instructions highlighted that teachers must repeat any topics they were unable to fully cover in the year prior.
The document specified that educators must focus their efforts to integrate students from marginalized groups, including children with disabilities and students from the Roma and Egyptian communities.
It also includes a list of guidelines for addressing bullying and recognizing signs of violence, and working to decrease the dropout rate.
Starting this year, public elementary schools will begin teaching English from the first grade.
