Albania's inclusive elementary school system lacks suitable teaching material for children with intellectual disabilities. That means some families need additional support to help their children learn.
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00:00Every morning, Anis Joka takes his 7-year-old son Aiden to the PROPAC centre in Tirana,
00:07where he receives therapy for children with intellectual disabilities.
00:11This support is crucial for Aiden, who recently started first grade in an inclusive school.
00:17As a child on the autism spectrum, using school textbooks is a challenge for Aiden.
00:23But his parents and therapists are working together to make it easier for him.
00:30At the moment, we have taken some textbooks in the form of puzzles,
00:35in the form of letters, so that Aiden can understand them,
00:39memorize alphabets and numbers.
00:41So, with the help of my improvisation,
00:44Aiden will be able to memorize something,
00:47but with school textbooks, it is impossible for him to keep up with the rhythm.
00:52Therapist Flavia Shehu, of the Down Syndrome Albania Foundation and PROPAC Centre,
00:57specializes in making information more accessible for children with intellectual disabilities.
01:02Together with other experts from Albania and Kosovo,
01:05she developed a primer that is specially tailored to meet these children's needs.
01:09It was sent to the Albanian Ministry of Education for approval in 2021.
01:14The current textbook is relatively outdated,
01:18and does not meet the needs of children with intellectual disabilities.
01:22Therefore, we came up with this text, which is used,
01:25which can be used more for the intellectual and cognitive capacity of children with disabilities,
01:31so that they know how to cope with their needs,
01:35working on a text, and not just on an individual education plan.
01:41The Ministry of Education approved the piloting of the book in specialized schools.
01:46But because experts have been asking for three years for it to be piloted in inclusive schools,
01:51and no agreement has been reached, the entire process has stalled.
01:58From the Ministry of Education, we have the right to pilot the text in special schools,
02:04but our request is that this text be piloted in inclusive schools,
02:08where we also use this text for children.
02:11In these forms being piloted in inclusive schools,
02:14we can have more feedback to improve this text,
02:18which is still not perfect.
02:24DW contacted the Ministry of Education for comment,
02:27but no answer had been received at the time this video was published.
02:31Aden is not the only child facing such challenges.
02:35According to official data, around 3,600 children with disabilities
02:40were enrolled in elementary education in Albania in the 2022-23 school year.
02:49The scholarship proposed by the Foundation for Children with Down Syndrome Albania
02:53is for their specific needs,
02:56and will be a great support for my children and for all children like me.
03:04Until the new primer is approved,
03:06Aden's family has no choice but to continue with his extra therapy,
03:10and hope that change will soon come.