Joining education unions from around the world, the Independent Trade Union of Education of Albania (SPASh-ITUEA) and the Trade Union Federation of Education and Science of Albania (FSASH) have committed to Education International's (EI) “Go Public! Fund Education” campaign. This initiative aims to increase public education funding and improve the working conditions of educators across Albania.
A united front for education
On October 17, 2024, twenty regional leaders and young representatives from both Albanian EI member organizations, FSASH and SPASH, gathered for a workshop as part of the Go Public! Fund Education campaign, which calls for governments to fully fund public education systems and invest in teachers and education workers.
Nevrus Kaptelli, President of SPASH, highlighted the challenges faced by educators in his country. “Financing education is a problem in Eastern Europe and Western Balkans. We will demand for 2025 that 20% of the national budget be allocated to education,” he said.
The SPASH leader also explained that Albania recently opened the accession process to the European Union and must adopt the acquis communautaire – the accumulated legislation, legal acts and court decisions that constitute the body of European Union law. “In this framework, one of the task of the Albanian government is to achieve 6% of the GDP dedicated to public education. We must ensure that, among money given to Western Balkans – 6 billion euros –, a considerable part goes to financing education. That will be one of our demands to the government.”
Shpetim Brahaj, the newly elected president of FSASH, echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the need for decent salaries and working conditions to make the teaching profession more attractive. “We are not in a good situation to have an attractive teaching profession, as we do not have decent salaries and working conditions in schools,” said Brahaj.
“As our unions are part of the National Council of Education, this is a good starting point to pressure and convince the Minister of Education, the Government to implement the UN recommendations,” Brahaj added.
As national elections approach in Albania, both unions are determined to push for increased education funding and improved conditions for teachers. They are considering mobilizing their members and staging a large protest in front of the governmental building to demand that education becomes a priority on the political agenda.
During the workshop, EI Director for Campaigns and Communications Rebeca Logan presented a global picture of the campaign emphasizing that it is driven by education unions organizing as the voice of teachers and education support personnel.
The importance of funding public education
The campaign underscores the critical need for sustainable investment in education and educators to achieve quality education for all. It aims to strengthen the narrative for well-resourced, inclusive, and equitable quality public education systems, highlighting their indispensable role in advancing human rights, equity, equality, peace, democracy, and climate justice.
Logan also highlighted the negative impact of austerity and privatization on the quality and equity of education systems and the rights and conditions of education workers. She stressed the importance of data, such as school expenditure as a percentage of GDP and public expenditure, to support the campaign's goals.
A global perspective
Logan provided a global overview of the campaign, noting that it is led by teacher unions worldwide. Despite financial constraints, the campaign has strengthened union members in various regions, including South Sudan and Uruguay, where unionists used cross-regional meetings to lobby for increased public education funding.
The campaign leverages the recommendations of the United Nations (UN) High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession, which entrench the need for competitive teacher salaries, manageable workloads, and a permanent, secure teaching workforce. These recommendations, endorsed by international bodies such as the UN, UNESCO, and the International Labor Organization, provide a framework for advocating for better conditions for teachers around the world.