Parent's Review of Albanian International School in Tirana, Albania

What is the name of your child's school? (Please report on one school per survey.)

Albanian International School

In what town or city is this school located?

Tirana

How would you describe this school? (i.e. American, British, International, Local, etc.)

International

What grade levels are represented at this school?

Pre-8

How do most children get to school everyday? (bus, train, walk, etc.)

car

How would you describe the facilities at this school? What extra-curricular activities are available?

This school has sadly misrepresented itself. There are no extra-curricular activities. The school is located in an old residence with classes held in converted bedrooms and closets. Multiple times my son told me the power and water had gone out. Toilets remained unflushed all day. Students were in close to freezing winter temperatures with no heating because the power was off.

What has this school done to help your child transition from the curriculum in your home country into the curriculum in your new country? Are there programs to prepare your child for repatriation?

Students were not given books for a large portion of the school year. The school printed off unauthorized copies of the few books they had. Though English is my son's first language, it is not for the majority of students and no assistance was given for students just beginning to learn English. The books provided were not for students learning English, and were very difficult for students to understand. Teachers gave grades that pleased parents, not showed what the students were learning.

How would you describe the social activities available for parents through this school? Are there parent-teacher organizations?

Multiple times parents were told we could not attend an event our children had been preparing for. Activities we could attend were not planned and very chaotic. The new director did not allow teachers to attend parent meetings and I found several of his comments about staff and administration to be inappropriate.

What advice would you give to someone considering enrolling their child in this school?

This school has not been able to retain even one foreign teacher for even one full school year. I took my son out, and know that at least 3 other students left the school during the school year due to poor management. The current director has no experience as a director and has begun military type rules which he picks and chooses when and who to apply discipline to. The administration unfortunately seems to be corrupt, through my witnessing an exchange that was not legal. Please be aware before enrolling your child here.

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