Prime Minister Edi Rama, Minister of Education and Sports Ogerta Manastirliu, and Minister of Interior Ervin Hoxha held a meeting today with security officers and teachers at the “Kosova” school as part of measures to improve security in schools.

This meeting follows the “Safe Schools” initiative, a joint project between the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Education and Sports, aimed at creating a safe and inclusive environment for students across the country.

Prime Minister Rama emphasized the government’s support for education and the entire educational staff to ensure quality and safe education.

“In these 10 years, we have built more than in the previous 40 years combined. This school year has just begun with a group of new schools added to a series of educational buildings, the result of a 10-year investment. We are not only focused on buildings and infrastructure but also on empowering the authority of teachers and continuously motivating the teaching staff. We have done this in every way, but above all by setting as a strategic objective of our government the increase of salaries for teachers. Our goal is for Albania 2030 to be a champion in every aspect,” said Prime Minister Rama.

Minister of Education and Sports Ogerta Manastirliu highlighted the importance of cooperation between all institutions to ensure not only schools with modern infrastructure but, above all, safe schools for students. She emphasized the important role of security officers in schools, stating that this position is essential in preventing negative phenomena such as bullying, physical violence, and cyber violence.
“Security officers are a key pillar in the smooth functioning of the educational process and in creating a peaceful and safe environment. Today we are very aware of the dangers our children face—harassment, aggression, and violence in any form, whether verbal, sometimes physical, and certainly online. Bullying and negative phenomena due to the use of technology, the internet, and social media are the reasons why we have made extraordinary efforts to build a national security network in schools for the prevention and early detection of these phenomena. For this reason, we have increased the number of security officers in schools, raising it to 240.

And the data shows, during the 2023-2024 academic year, the number of incidents in schools has decreased by 733 compared to the previous year,” said Manastirliu, also noting that, like the salaries of teachers, psychologists, and social workers in schools, the salary of police officers has also been increased by 20% to encourage greater dedication to their work.

Minister Manastirliu also stressed the importance of continuous training for security officers, announcing that during September-October 2024, the National Cyber Security Authority will conduct training on “Cyber Security and Protecting Children from Online Bullying.”
“Security officers are trained and educated by the Security Academy to fulfill their primary duty in schools. Of course, the steps we have taken for their training are ongoing, and we are currently working on the next training for cyber security and the protection of children,” said Manastirliu.

The Minister also discussed new programs and extracurricular activities for students, which will be expanded, such as the “Art, Craft, and Sport” program, the “School as a Community Center” program, and the “School Sports Teams” initiative, aimed at creating a healthy and safe environment for our students.

“We are evaluating a new program for children, the Summer Schools. I believe that we all prioritize keeping children connected to school with learning environments and other programs. We also want teachers, who reach retirement age, to be engaged in these summer schools. There is nothing better than keeping schools open during the summer as well. We will launch a pilot program in 2025, and we believe this will be a novelty, with schools staying open during the summer,” said the Minister of Education and Sports, Ogerta Manastirliu.

Meanwhile, Minister of Interior Ervin Hoxha stated: “The school safety package has been developed with a clear goal: to ensure that every school is a place where not only quality education prevails but also safety for all. We have currently increased the presence of police forces around schools and monitor them with cameras to control and prevent any incident that could harm the safety of students. The 240 security officers are the bridge between the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Education. The eyes and ears of the police in schools are an irreplaceable link and the added value of overall student safety in schools.”

At the end of the meeting, Prime Minister Rama, Minister of Education and Sports, Ogerta Manastirliu, and Minister Hoxha confirmed the commitment of the government to continue supporting this initiative in all schools of Albania, making them not only centers of education but also safe for students and teachers.