UK helps Albanian young people

TIRANA, Feb. 14 – The British Ambassador to Albania, Fiona McIlwham, attended the awards ceremony for the Albanian 2010 Innovative School of the Year awards.
10 schools from across Albania submitted proposals for their vision of how technology could be used in schools in the future. The winning school, Ismail Qemali, will receive a small grant to implement their proposal, and will go forward to the regional final in FYROM in March. The two runners-up Sami Frasheri, and Raqi Qirinxhi and Fan Noli, received prizes of computer equipment.
The competition is part of the British Council’s “Future Schools” project, in partnership with Microsoft’s “Partners in Learning” programme.
The Ambassador said, “The UK is committed to supporting Albania on her journey to EU membership. This Future Schools project is a clear example of that UK commitment and support.”
“Increased links between teachers and students worldwide enables students to work on shared curricula and find shared solutions to global problems. It gives teachers an opportunity to share best practice and access development opportunities. Technology makes this happen.”
Future Schools is a project designed and implemented by the British Council and Microsoft Partners in Learning. The project focuses on education and skills development for schools and education authorities in four countries of the South East Europe (Albania, Kosovo, FYROM and Montenegro) in order to prepare for and implement significant positive changes in the education systems and practices which will lead to well educated citizens and qualified professionals for the competitive economy of the EU.
30 teachers from 10 schools in Albania (Tirana, Vlora, Shkodra, Kor衠and Gjirokastra) were trained in December on concepts of what innovation in education means for schools and how technology can help shape the future of the education. As a follow up these 10 schools have prepared a project proposal on how they envisage the school of the future. Throughout December and January teachers have organized the project team, involving both students and members of the community, and used various technological applications to prepare and enhance their proposals.
All participating teachers will receive certificates recognized by the Ministry and the Institute of curricula and training confirming their knowledge of the live Microsoft software and other PC accessories
The winning projects from all countries in the region will be chosen to participate in the final regional conference held in FYROM on the 5th March. The regional conference will pave the way for the winning school to participate in the annual Microsoft Innovative Teachers Conference.