New support for children with different abilities, Prime Minister Rama shares the news: a pay bonus for assistant teachers!

Prime Minister Edi Rama today announced a regulatory turn in support of inclusive education, promising a financial bonus on top of the salary for assistant teachers, the raising of a new professional training system and the creation of the Consultative Council for Children with Different Abilities.

The head of government’s statements were made during a conversation with a group of parents, attended also by the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Klodiana Spahiu, the Minister of Education, Mirela Kumbaro, and the director of the State Social Service, Reme Lala.

Rama: dedicated training and a financial incentive on top of the salary

After hearing the families’ concerns about difficulties in the education system and the need to qualify teachers, Prime Minister Rama emphasized the necessity of institutionalizing training and increasing financial motivation for support staff.

“A training system must be built, and secondly, the possibility must be looked at for these teachers to be given extra financial support — they absolutely must have a bonus on top of their salary,” Rama said firmly.

The Prime Minister proposed raising a special liaison structure that will address the daily problems of children and parents, including a consultative council meeting at regular intervals and a micro-secretariat able to refer problems in real time.

During the meeting, parents also raised their concerns about the barriers they face every day in their children’s education. Among the main points raised was the urgent need to create sensory corners and resource rooms within school premises.

Kumbaro: a 1-to-1 ratio for assistant teachers and interactive classrooms

The Minister of Education, Mirela Kumbaro, emphasized the progress made in covering pupils’ needs with assistant teachers, announcing that individual support for every child has been achieved.

“Year after year the number of assistant teachers has grown. If once we had 1 assistant teacher for 4 children, today we are at a ratio of 1 teacher for every child, and we plan to increase the hours, especially case by case,” Kumbaro declared.

She also announced the creation of special spaces within schools for handling moments of emotional overload or communication difficulties — dedicated interactive classrooms where children, together with the assistant teacher, can stay until they feel better.