Albania Helping children feel better and do better in school

Project : Albania 18 Apr 2011 | education prevention protection systems school dropout

Albania, 4 – 8 April 2011:In order to ensure children’s psycho-social well-being, academic progress and protection in the school environment, school psychologists must be trained in using the proper tools and techniques to assess children’s needs and requirements in their immediate educational environment, in close cooperation with teachers and parents. A recent example of how Terre des hommes in Albania continues to support local capacity building efforts towards increasing child protection in the school relates to the one-day training seminars that took place throughout the country targeting around 80 school psychologists from 12 different cities, including the capital Tirana and Durrës, Devoll, Elbasan, Fier. Kavaja Kruja, Kolonja Korça, Librazhd, Peqin and Pogradec.

The aim was to train the participating school psychologists in using various standardized and curriculum-based psychological tests, tools and techniques to assess children’s overall well-being and academic progress in the school, as well as their potential needs and requirements. The participants were encouraged to see the psycho-social evaluation of children in the school environment as part of a wider process which includes continuous consultation with the children, teachers and their parents, direct observation for changes in children’s behaviour, close monitoring of children’s academic progress, the formulation of appropriate intervention plans in partnership with teachers and parents, etc.

After watching training DVDs of concrete demonstrations of how to run and conduct various psychometrics evaluation tests for children, the participants discussed at length about the advantages and disadvantages of each technique with a view to determining the most appropriate ones for the Albanian context. Special emphasis was also put on the appropriate interpretation of the results for each technique. “I found this training to be particularly useful as it gave me new tools for assisting children who grapple with issues of low self-esteem and academic performance. I also feel clearer about my role in mobilizing appropriate support from teachers and parents to help children feel better and do better in school,” said a school psychologist from Kavaja. [TL]