“Great schools do not exist apart from great leaders” – Leadership Matters

The project will create the Education Leadership Center which will train the principals of preuniversity education institutions. AADF will support the center for at least 5 years so that trained school leaders will be skilled to manage the institution and school funds. School leadership has become a priority in education policy agendas internationally. School leadership plays an important role in improving overall school outcomes by influencing the motivations and capacities of teachers, as well as the school climate and environment.

This project entails developing an up-to-date modern ICT curriculum for basic, lower and upper secondary education by means of international and local expertise; develop a Teacher’s Learning Platform (TLP) for ICT teachers to access resources in delivering classroom content, virtual training and enable teachers to deliver the new curricula content through training and supervision. AADF has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Institute of Education Development in June 2017 by delineating the roles and responsibilities of both parties.

The establishment of a creative technology center stems as an initiative in AADF’s education strategy. AADF foresees a bottom-up approach in ICT as effective in enhancing digital literacy in Albania. The main idea is to promote and create a place for Albanian teenagers to explore an innovative path and diversify their future skills. Beneficiaries will be able to create their own personalized learning plans utilizing a virtual environment designed to facilitate the multifaceted curriculum. AADF will consider designing a space that will allow creations and their exhibition. The proposed project intends to revitalize one of the main premises in Tirana through an architectural and business plan while guaranteeing leveraged partnerships between local, central government and other potential donors.

Junior Achievement program address exactly the fourth competence and are largely considered by government and other stakeholders in economic education. In support of the current curricular reform initiated by the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth, JA programs will be  integrated in the new official curricula of High School as integrated part of  Economy, subject at 12th grade. The new JA economic program will include JA elective modules;  Business Ethics, Success Skills, Be Entrepreneurial and  Personal Finance. This intervention would constitute a unique example among 122 countries worldwide implementing JA programs in schools, as the first case of JA program being obligatory through the whole pre-university education system.  The support will ensure a qualitative installation of JA program in the core curriculum, capacity building of teaching staff and sustained involvement of business community in school life.

“Learning takes place in students’ heads where it is invisible to others. This means that learning must be assessed” – Eberly Center, Carnegie Mellon University

The National Examination Center (NEC) is the sole authorized institution in Albania to conduct assessment for all National High-Stake Exams and Regulated Professions Licensure Examinations. NEC has a high impact in the Education sector as it directly affects assessment of all pre-university cycle and Regulated Professions.

AADF’s vision for NEC is to introduce international standards in assessment that will guarantee and improve transparency, integrity, time processing and costs. Acting as a data warehouse NEC will be able to provide business intelligence insight in policymaking and agendas for the education sector in Albania.

Through this project AADF aims to further improve the Center’s capacities by analyzing operational models that protect integrity, reduce political influence and will contribute to upgrade the centers technology. In collaboration with the Ministry of Education a revised legal framework for NEC will be proposed to ensure that it operates as a proficient and autonomous institution. A management plan based on the new operational modem will be prepared as part of this project.

Total AADF’s investment for the implementation of the National Examinations Center project in the years 2018 – 2019 is $410,000.

AADF in partnership with Protik Center, Municipality of Tirana and the National Agency for Information Society have launched a Software Development Academy, which is implemented by Protik. SDA is the largest programming academy in Central and Eastern Europe with headquarters in Poland and operates in over 35 cities across Europe. The academy has over 6500 graduates, 600 qualified trainers and will offer programming languages such as Java, Python, PHP, .Net and Software Tester. SDA by Protik will offer a flexible program through the model “Bring Your Own Device” and aims to employ young professionals in the private and public ICT sector. SDA by Protik academy will provide certificates upon completion of course while meeting the labor market needs of ICT proffesionals in Albanian market.

Albania’s cultural heritage is more than its vast physical heritage of castle, archaeological ruins, museum and remote monuments. It is about people and their practices, representations, expressions, as well as the knowledge and skills (including instruments, objects, artifacts, cultural spaces).

Spread through generations and constantly recreated, Albanian Intangible Cultural Heritage not only ensures Albanians with a sense of identity, but it has the potential to become one of the main motivations for travel and tourism in the country.

The project aims to take a new step into the second pillar of cultural heritage, aiming to support the country’s application to UNESCO of four national ICH elements:

1. Transhumance (Verimi), the seasonal movement of livestock and shepherds from one grazing ground to another in a seasonal cycle.
2. Jublet (Xhubleta) a unique bell-shaped folk skirt, worn by Albanian women in the north and known for its unique way of making, structure and traditional decorating style.
3. Songs of Frontier Warriors (Eposi i Kreshnikëve), the north Albanian epos sung to this day by elderly Albanian men playing lahuta, a one-stringed instrument.
4. Tropoja’s folk dance – (Kcimi i Tropojës), an ancient folk dance, characteristic of Tropoja, an area in the north of Albania. It is known for its expressive moves, and unique choreography.

TUMO Tirana is an educational center offering teens between the ages of 12 and 18 access to skills and professionals at the intersection of design and technology. TUMO Tirana offers the same educational content and innovative, software-based delivery strategy used in TUMO Berlin, TUMO Beirut, TUMO Moscow, TUMO Paris, and all TUMO centers in Armenia. The AADF, with the support of Municipality of Tirana, has partnered with TUMO in Yerevan, an Armenian educational non-profit to prepare Albania’s teens for the 21st century by providing skills essential for success. The establishment of this creative technology center stems from the AADF’s educational developmental efforts to enhance digital literacy in Albania and equip teens with 21st-century skills.

While at TUMO, teens learn technical skills at the intersection of technology and design while also gaining industry knowledge and soft skills essential for success in the 21st century. TUMO is built around three learning modes, independent self-learning, classroom-based workshops and collaborative learning labs. Each learning mode offers unique opportunities for student growth and is designed to push all types of learners outside of their comfort zones and achieve concrete results.

At TUMO Tirana, learning is independent, delivered through a platform named TUMO Path allowing students to create their personalized learning plan in Animation, Game Development, Graphic Design, Film Making, Music, Programming, 3D Modelling, and Robotics. They’re given the tools and know-how they need to reach their maximum potential, and they chart their own learning path through hands-on activities, workshops and projects. The main goal is to give teenagers the opportunity to reach their maximum potential in competitive and fast-growing industries at a global scale, expand horizons and develop their mentalities towards a civic and professional value system that is based on merit, communication, teamwork, initiative, trust and self-confidence. TUMO is an experimental place where the idea is to make students feel comfortable and build a very strong foundation for their future careers.

CleanScore expansion project is a unique opportunity to spread nationwide in universities all over Albania. It aims to become a framework in higher education agendas, by capturing the majority of the student base. CleanScore pilot has showed that when integrity, transparency, quality and efficiency are applied in student assessments, a magnitude of positive tangible and intangible occurrences happen. From enhanced student trust, normalization of grade distribution, reduction of grading time to overall non-partisan assessment, CleanScore has the foresight to become an indispensable tool to the system.

During the two-year pilot phase CleanScore has challenged the status quo and surpassed the expectations. Over 30,000 assessments have been scored using the CleanScore technology and methodology in 4 higher education institutions. The first translated international textbook “Entrepreneurship” from Pearson was published in 2018 and 3 more will be published by the end of the year.

Through the expansion CleanScore will operate 14 stations nationwide that will cover test scoring for 85% of students in higher education in Albania for 6 years. 10 more international textbooks in the fields of economics and education will be translated and published in the next 3 years. CleanScore will build and operate the first Digital Book Platform in Albanian academia that will increase student’s accessibility to textbooks, reduce book costs for students and also minimize the photocopying phenomena.

Total AADF’s investment for the implementation of the CleanScore expansion project in the years 2019 – 2024 is $2,7 million.

In cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Educational Testing Service (ETS Global), and the National Exam Agency, the Foundation is piloting TOEFL Junior in all state matura exams for students that elect to test for the B2 level of English as a second language. In an effort to bring in a global standard for English proficiency, TOEFL Junior will be used to substitute the current state exam for those high school graduates that choose to test for B2 level in English. TOEFL Junior, a brand of ETS Global, has a strong reputation, proven methodology, and is recognized in the vast majority of colleges worldwide. One of the greatest accomplishments expected through this project is that students applying for college admissions in English-speaking universities will not have to retest for TOEFL for the B2 level. Post-pilot, AADF expects to extend the TOEFL standard into all matura students, regardless of level of proficiency. It is also part of the post-pilot plan to review curricula, assess teacher proficiency, and conduct capacity building for them through the same standard.

Tech Crew is an AADF initiative in cooperation with Protik Innovation Center. This project supports the creation of a network of young and talented innovators who collaborate to generate productive ideas through modelling and printing of 3D objects, in the field of information technology, electronics and robotics. Through this project, we aim to introduce 3D technology to Albania. Project beneficiaries include university students of engineering, mechatronics, electronics and computing but also designers which model 3D objects. The Tech Crew has been meeting regularly every week at Protik and has worked under the guidance of the technical support consultant. Since its initiation, the Tech Crew team has assembled 3D printers, modeled many objects in 3D (AutoCAD), and has finalized the printing of more than 15 objects. This project was just extended for another year and we expect to see more great ideas implemented from the team.

Junior Achievement (JA) in K-9 is in support of the current K-9 curricular reform initiated by the Ministry of Education and Sport. JA will be the long-term solution for guaranteeing delivery of modern economic education to K-9 learners. Quality will be assured through introduction of well-designed teaching and learning materials and adequate training of the entire teaching staff. Piloting the new curriculum will precede a gradual introduction throughout the system. AADF shares the belief that solid economic education in schools translates in economic growth in years to come. JA is an internationally proven program that we adopt as methodology and adapt as content.

Junior Achievement® (JA) is a program that fosters work-readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy skills, and uses experiential learning to inspire students to reach their potential. The JA curriculum is delivered by community volunteers who share their personal experiences with students, transforming the key concepts of lessons into messages which empower students to believe in themselves, take initiative and build an entrepreneurial mind-set. Junior Achievement® Albania programs are offered as elective courses to 11th and 12th graders in high schools throughout Albania. Participating students learn about the 21st century global marketplace through: Business Ethics, Success Skills, Student Company, Be Entrepreneurial and Leader for a Day.

LEAD Albania, a fellowship program similar to the White House Fellows Program, aims to provide gifted young Albanian professionals with first-hand experience in the process of governing Albania.  Fellows are assigned to senior positions within the Prime Ministry, Office of the President, Ministries, and Municipality of Tirana. The Fellowship experience is supported by an educational component where Fellows participate in seminars on: European integration, public policy, decision making, foreign policy, security policy, leadership, and soft skills development.  The program envisions that Fellows will not only learn in their positions but that they will also contribute significantly to the productivity, efficiency and innovativeness of the host institutions.

In order to ensure that Albanian students with outstanding potential can have access to an American-style liberal arts education, the AADF created a program that grants scholarships to the American University of Bulgaria (AUBG) based on merit and financial need. AUBG emphasizes a liberal arts education centered on the intellectual engagement between faculty and students in and out of the classroom. It is an increasingly diverse and international institution, which now attracts students from over 40 countries and has achieved remarkable success by becoming an academic leader in Bulgaria and throughout the region. The scholarship program which first began operating in 2012 is offered to 5 students every year for eight semesters. All interested students should apply directly to AUBG.

The ICT internship program allows students to utilize the resources of the Protik Center in order to provide services for businesses and institutions throughout the country. Due to increasing demand in the Albanian labor market for skilled ICT professionals, the Protik ICT Internship program seeks to enhance opportunities for those interested in pursuing careers in ICT. Students benefit from the real-life experience they attain and the networking possibilities while companies benefit from their labor and have an active role in training the next group of ICT professionals. Interested ICT students from public universities should apply directly to Protik Center.