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The Ministry of Education’s vision for the future of education in Albania is an ambitious reform, which has launched and aims to create schools with advanced technology, modern infrastructure, increased teaching quality and European standards in every corner of the country, based on three fundamental pillars: quality, innovation and inclusiveness.
The Ministry of Education is working in two main directions to align the pre-university education system with contemporary methodologies of the European Union, focusing specifically on the revision of curricula and the continuous training of teachers. These processes aim to create a curriculum that not only modernizes teaching, but also meets European education criteria. In parallel, curricular reform and professional development of teachers are being implemented in close cooperation with universities, accompanied by a broad information campaign through conferences, social networks and traditional media.
The alignment with contemporary methodologies of the European Union in an ever-evolving education system, such as the Albanian one, brings the need for the role of the teacher to transcend the traditional boundaries. Teachers must not only transmit knowledge, but also cultivate critical thinking in language, mathematics, science and digital skills. Embracing this dynamic challenge requires a commitment to lifelong learning, making continuous professional development a necessity for every teacher.
Continuous professional development in the areas of language, mathematics, science and digital skills is not only a professional obligation, but a transformative innovation. STEM, as an interdisciplinary educational approach, integrates four fields: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, promoting critical thinking, problem-solving skills, creativity, practical learning and real-life application. The digital revolution has reshaped the educational paradigm, making digital skills an integral aspect of contemporary teaching.
Professional development training for teachers in digital skills equips them with up-to-date knowledge of new curricula and helps them integrate technology into lessons, creating interactive and engaging environments for students.
The National Teacher Professional Development Program, in two training cycles during 2024–2025, has trained 16 thousand teachers, while for the period 2026–2028 it aims to train about 20 thousand pre-university education teachers, with a focus on curriculum updating, the use of technology and artificial intelligence in teaching. The goal is to create a dynamic and inclusive educational environment, where teachers are leaders in the formation of a new generation of students prepared for the challenges of the 21st century.
The training for the professional development of teachers is financed by the Ministry of Education and implemented in coordination with the Agency for Quality Assurance of Pre-university Education and public universities. The national program aims to bring improvements in teaching methodologies, pedagogy and general educational standards. Through this program it is aimed to:
- Improving and increasing the quality of pre-university education through the alignment of teaching methodology with the STEM approach;
- Improving student performance by building teachers’ capacities to implement methods that develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills;
- Promoting innovation by equipping teachers with digital skills that enable them to effectively integrate technology into teaching practices;
- Supporting the professional development of teachers, keeping them updated with best practices and methodologies in order to improve teaching and student outcomes;
- Linking teaching to assessment, by training teachers in the effective interpretation and use of formative assessment data to improve the learning process;
- Promoting equity and inclusion, addressing the needs of every student and guaranteeing equal access to quality education;
- Establishing clear qualitative indicators for monitoring and evaluating student performance.
- The Ministry of Education, through the Pre-University Education Quality Assurance Agency, is also focused on reviewing curricula and textbooks in basic and secondary education.
Updating the pre-university education curriculum is conceived as a comprehensive modernization process, aimed at building a quality, flexible and 21st century education system oriented towards the development of 21st century competencies for all students.
In the current context of rapid technological, economic and social transformations, the curriculum needed interventions to reflect the new needs of the labor market, the knowledge society and global citizenship. Its review and updating were undertaken on the basis of national and international assessments, such as PISA, TIMSS and PIRLS, internal analyses and the experiences of European countries, with the aim of building a modern and internationally comparable curriculum.
The new curriculum framework has been designed and adopted reflecting contemporary developments in education and defining updated key competences in line with the European key competences. It places particular focus on the STEM approach, the integration of technology into the learning process, methodological guidelines for teaching, and the promotion of creativity and critical thinking. Special attention has also been paid to updated cross-curricular themes.
For the first, sixth and tenth grades, the updating of the subject programs took place during 2025. The updating of the textbooks is currently underway, while the implementation of the new curriculum will begin in September 2026.
The same logic and process will be followed for the second, seventh and eleventh grades, with the new curriculum to be implemented in September 2027, as well as for the third, eighth and twelfth grades in September 2028. The process will be concluded with the fourth, fifth and ninth grades, where the implementation of the new curriculum will begin in September 2029.
The preparation of the list of textbooks for updating, by grade and subject, based on the official catalog of textbooks for grades one, six and ten, includes 171 textbooks: 140 physical textbooks and 31 digital textbooks. This process also includes the drafting of indicators for updating textbooks and the holding of informational meetings with publishing houses, organized by ASCAP.
The competition process for new textbooks will be subject to the subject of Citizenship for grades I, VI and X, as well as Albanian Language for grade X. While the other textbooks will be subject to improvements and updates according to new curricular standards and objectives.
The new curriculum, together with the strategic program for the professional development of teachers and investments in the infrastructure of our schools, aim to lay a good foundation for the modernization of the pre-university education system according to European standards.
This material has been prepared within the framework of the Reform Agenda of Albania 2024–2027, in implementation of the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans.
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