School safety, Kumbaro from Kamza: security package, same standard across the country

Education Minister Mirela Kumbaro said the school security package is the result of broad inter-institutional coordination, with the same standard in every school in the country, from Gjirokastra to Tropoja.

Speaking at the “Ibrahim Rugova” school in Kamza, where the interior, health and agriculture ministers were also present, Kumbaro stressed that the security officer is one of the key elements of this system.

“There is a representative group of a very important category that we have in schools and that we have created in recent years, which is the security officer. It is one of those key figures inside the school showing that in policymaking we give a very important dimension and attention precisely to the calm and safety of children in schools,” the minister said.

She specified that the security system does not rely on the security officer alone.

“It is not just the security officer. Here there is also a psychologist and a social worker. Over the last 10 years, in the way we administer pre-university education institutions, the figures present in schools have been increased precisely to create a mosaic like a garden,” Kumbaro stressed, listing the principal, vice-principals, caretaker teachers, the quality coordinator, the career coordinator, the psychologist and the social worker.

The minister noted that pupils spend 5–6 hours at school and that the after-school program extends this time further. However, she stressed, the school cannot act in isolation.

“We cannot do it alone… the other environment is society, the neighborhood, the city, the family, and here we have other actors with whom we coordinate. That is why in little and big Kamza at the same time we are today four ministers,” Kumbaro said.

She particularly praised the continuous cooperation with the Interior Ministry and the State Police, which for years has ensured presence at pupils’ entry and exit, as well as during the long break.

“Last year, in cooperation with the state police, we increased the presence of patrols… during the long break, which has proven to be a delicate moment here in Kamza as well,” the minister said.

Kumbaro announced that the smart-camera system has been installed in about 20 schools in Kamza and Tirana, while the rest of the schools operate the traditional camera network. According to her, all these measures, coordinated together, increase the guarantees of safety.

She put the emphasis on communication as an essential element.

“Without any dilemma, I think the emphasis, the keyword, is communication. Communication at all levels, vertical and horizontal… Through communication we can prevent things that then unfortunately sometimes we cannot undo,” she said.

The minister stressed that the security package has been agreed and detailed down to the smallest classes and the most remote schools, with the same standards across the country.

“The security standard, the standard of guaranteeing calm is the same in the schools of Gjirokastra, Tirana or Tropoja,” Kumbaro concluded.