Curriculum reform in pre-university education in Albania, No.20, pages 7-19

by Prof. Dr. Adrian PAPAJANI
UET Press (2021)

Abstract

The study aims to provide a concise overview of the progress of the process of curriculum reform in pre-university education in general, the achievements and problems identified after 1991.After some initial corrections, the pre-university education curriculum changed but they did not follow the same philosophy at different levels of education, which affected the coherence of the changes. In the early 2000s, experts identified the main challenges related to improving the situation in this system. They were: a. national curriculum reform; and b. creating a stable and efficient structure for the professional development of teachers working in pre-university education. The new curricular framework would indicate the directions in which the country’s education system needed to be developed to meet its intended educational policies. But the curricular reform of upper secondary education in 2010 did not follow the same curricular philosophy and approach as the curricular reform of basic education in 2004. Although this reform aimed at aligning with new trends in competency-based curriculum development, it did not managed to realize a curriculum that reflected the development of competencies in all aspects. The basic education curriculum reform in 2013 tried to offer a new curriculum, but despite the efforts made, it failed to develop a competency-based curriculum. The Strategy for the Development of Pre-University Education 2014-2020 envisages a broad and competency-based conception of the curriculum. This important development complemented a shortcoming identified in the process of reforming Pre-University Education until 2013. Defining key 8 POLIS / No. 20, 2021 POLIS / No. 20, 2021 9 competencies, expressed through learning outcomes, as well as defining criteria for assessing outcomes provide the conditions for opportunities to equal education for all students, for accurate assessment of the quality of education offered at national or local level, for fair assessment of the level of student achievement, etc.

https://doi.org/10.58944/kpug2790