Policy making in The Ministry of Education and Science
Collaboration with IED and the other second-level agencies.
• Since 2004 education in terms of structure ,curriculum content,
teacher education ,legislation ,institutions roles and
responsibilities.
• Reforms driven by political agenda and strategy, inside and
outside demand for a paradigm shift.
• IED provision of evidence for policy makers participation in
action planning coaching to school actors, consultation with
stakeholders,informatiojn of policymakers.
• Methodology:
• Collecting evidence, analyzing and assessing evidence,
documenting assessment.
• The focus of the accompanying research: focus on inputs, focus
on process, focus on outcomes.
• From Evidence to Actions: knowledge creation, knowledge
dissemination, knowledge use.

Critical issues:
The funneling process (refining research findings into
digestible summary statements), relevancy of reviews of
research for policymakers, specifying goals, selecting
strategies, ambiguous causal relationship , trial and error
model or scientific accuracy model, insufficiency of
knowledge in identifying ends and means.

Evidence based policy-making and the promotion of the
individual needs of children in Albania.
› Collect information on differences and individual needs of
children ,little experience in providing assessment, teachers not
ready to design interventions.
Current Basic Education Curriculum Review.
Problems (lack of Curricular Framework, teaching plan lacking
integrative cross-curricular vision, objectives of the syllabi weakly
adapted to age, differential approach missing ,missing Quality
Assurance, Monitoring and Evaluation.
The Process and the Content.
Working groups need to have a shared vision, strategic agenda
and times of pressure impact on the dynamics of roles. IED
procedural and operational manuals.
IED decision making for criteria for selection of curriculum models,
decide on integrative approach appropriate for the context of
Albania, large classrooms not allowing for interactive teaching
methodology.
The Methodology and the Instruments.
›
›
›
›
What constitutes real evidence? Methodology, capacity.
When is adequate evidence available to inform decisions? Timing, good data.
How can credible evidence be ensured ? Transparency, Independence
A receptive policy environment leading to evidence-based policy making.

From evidence collectors for policy-making to policy entrepreneurs.

Knowing what works and what doesn’t work.

Changes and challenges.

The role of social inclusion in the philosophy of the basic education
curriculum under reformation.

The 2011 Pre-University Education Draft Law.
Decentralization of the teacher professional development system.
Empowerment of the local educational sectors.
Focus on “Education for all”.
Bridging the gap between levels of the education system.
“Quality and Equity in Education “project, priorities, investments, and impact on the
quality of the teaching and learning process.
›
›
›
›

Accreditation of the Training Programmes
›
›
Enhancement of the training provider market competition.
Involvement of state-funded teacher education university faculties in in-service
teacher training.
Teaching as a regulated profession. The mentoring system and the quality of teaching.
Career progression and remuneration system provides for a separate system of
qualification for principals.
The reformation of the Institute of Curriculum and Training, IED and the holistic
approach in the development of educational policies and strategies. Transition
between levels of education.
The Financing of the Univers.ities. A testimony of ‘Education for All” in the higher levels
of the education system

Social inclusion across the curriculum. The gymnasium
and the basic education reform.

The Roma Decade, the Strategy of Dealing with Children
with Disabilities, The National Educational Strategy 20042015,The National Strategy for Children 20012005(renewed 2011) and Other Initiatives.

Governmental and Non-governmental bodies dealing
with Inclusive Education.

The child-friendly school philosophy, capacity –building
and coaching for social inclusion, Roma students and their
school realities, databazing disability and special learning
needs in Albania.










Institutional and procedural obstacles. The autonomy of universities, the
reporting chain and data collection.
Local education and local government structures , statistics and
assessment results.
Students with Educational Needs, professional expertise to deal with
them and data basing the categories.
The issue of data reliability
Mapping the contribution of non-governmental structures and
international organizations in the field, and using them for evidencebased policy-making.
Information gap, secrecy, and the need for speedy responses leads to
policy being weakly informed by research-based evidence.
Limited professional expertise to provide specialized care, and to assess
disability.
Disabled children not declared because of stigmatization, Roma
characterized by high mobility
Risk of positive discrimination
Roma people linguistic not ethnic minority, barrier to engagement in
mainstream education
Change of mindset, evidence-based policy making at the basis of the
approaches of both governmental and non-governmental bodies.

Measures and legislative interventions foreseen.

Draft-law for pre-university education, state subsidies, free transport, free
learning packages, free of charge accommodation in the dorms. I
Compulsory education curriculum adjusted to students needs, reduced
class size, IEP-s.


The accreditation of the training programmes, teacher needs-driven,
and partial cataloguing of the work done with the marginalized groups.

Broader view of Education for All vs. narrow comprehension of
marginalization of ethnic minorities and children with disabilities.

New dimensions of the basic education curriculum and developing
special curriculum for children with special needs.
As these practices and experiences show,
none is free of challenges and difficulties
through the way.
 To summarize, the main issues are related to
the coordination of authority, shared vision,
evidence and good will for change.
 None of the results in education reform are
purely devoted to one stakeholder, so
common actions and plans are needed.


Argyrous, G. (ed), Evidence for Policy and Decision-Making: A Practical Guide, UNSW Press, Sydney,

Edwards, M. 2001, Social Policy, Public Policy: From Problems to Practice, Allen and
Unwin, Sydney

European Training Foundation (2007). ‘Social Inclusion of Ethnic Groups through
Education and Training :Elements of Good Practice’, European Training Foundation.

Ministers of Education from South Eastern Europe (2008). Joint Statement on Building
Human Capital and. Promoting Diversity through Dialogue, Creativity and Innovation,
Oslo.


National Strategy for Pre-university Education
National Strategy for Children Protection(2007).Draft National Strategy for Child
Protection 2011

Nutley, S., Walter, I. and Davies, H. 2008, ‘Past, Present, and Possible Futures of EvidenceBased Policy’,




pp. 1–44.
Pre-university Education Draft-Law(2011)
UNICEF BiH (2008). External evaluation of the project ‘Child friendly schools’ project 20022007.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (1960). ‘Convention
against
Discrimination in Education’, Paris, 429 UNTS 93
http://www.unesco.org/education/pdf/DISCRI_E.PDF
Zgaga, P. (2006). (Ed.) The Prospects of Teacher Education in South-east Europe.
Ljubljana: University of Ljubljana.