National consultant to support

Albania ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on February 11, 2013 and in September 2016, the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) adopted and published General Comment No. 4 (2016) on Article 24: “Right to inclusive education.” While progress has been noted in policies regarding the inclusion of children with disabilities in the public education system, still in Albania there exist a dual system which allows for inclusive mainstream schools and special schools to coexist. The Law on Pre-University Education states that Special Schools for children with disabilities should be transformed into Resource Centers and all children with disabilities should be included in mainstream schools. So far, no specific legal provisions on how to carry out this transformation are in place and no clear analysis and guidelines for this major transformation exist. According to “Order 31, dated January 28, 2020, on the Regulation of the Functioning of Pre-University Education Institutions in Albania,” special schools are intended to serve as Resource Centers for mainstream schools. So far there are 9 special schools in Albania that based on the Education Law should be gradually transformed into resource centers. No detailed analysis on their functioning, way of supporting for children with disabilities in line with Article 24 of CRPD on Inclusive Education and the shifting of responsibilities towards becoming resource centers have taken place yet.

The national consultant will work in tandem with an international consultant to assess the current situation of the special schools (policy, legal, institutional, financial and capacity building aspects) and their potential readiness to be transformed into resource centers. The national consultant will accompany this process along the way working closely with the MOES ensuring the steps that will lead towards full transformation. The consultant will report to the Education Specialist in UNICEF Albania office.

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