Albanian Minister of Education, Sports and Youth, Evis Kushi; Minister of Justice, Etilda Gjonaj and Ambassador of Italy in Tirana, Fabrizio Bucci have signed Tuesday a cooperation agreement for the creation and establishment, in Albanian high schools, of a teaching curriculum for the purpose of education on legality.

In a press release, the Embassy of Italy to Albania informed that this agreement aims to promote respect for the rule of law and the prevention of corruption through the experience of Avviso Pubblico, an association which includes Italian public entities and which, since 1996, has been working on training and awareness on corruption, crime and organized, eco-mafia, recycling, tenders, confiscated assets and urban security.

The agreement will make possible the elaboration of a special curriculum for Albanian schools and the realization of a pilot study course in several selected classes, within a possible sustainable inclusion of this curriculum in the Albanian school system.

Meanwhile, the project is implemented in the framework of the excellent cooperation that exists between Italy and Albania in the education sector and in the fight against corruption and organized crime, as far as the Embassy is concerned.

The Embassy also recalled the launch, on May 17, of a professional training course for seventeen members of the anti-corruption network of the Albanian Ministry of Justice, a course organized thanks to the cooperation of the Agency for Cooperation and Development, the High Council of Justice and the National Anti-Corruption Agency and the signing, the next day, of the Iliria memorandum for the support provided in the teaching of the Italian language in the Albanian general and vocational secondary schools.

On this occasion, Ambassador Bucci stated: “The fight against corruption remains a priority for all democratic countries. Corruption, before being a judicial phenomenon, is a cultural phenomenon, creates a secret tax imposed on citizens, leads to inefficient use of public resources and undermines citizens' trust in institutions. This agreement follows other initiatives that Italy has undertaken in Albania in the judicial sector and aims to raise awareness of young people on these topics through the school system, because schools are what shape the citizens of the future".

Minister Gjonaj stated that “a new cooperation has started between the two countries in one field, that of the fight against corruption, which is one of the priorities of the Albanian government. It is a pilot project which will be implemented initially in some selected schools, starting next September, and will be extended afterwards at national level. Only through the education of the younger generations will we be able to realize our vision of a society and a culture of integrity".

Minister Kushi reminded, in conclusion, that "the main mission of schools and the entire Albanian school system is to give students the knowledge and skills in order to become, tomorrow, not only good professionals, but also worthy citizens. Italy, in the capacity of Albania's strategic partner in the field of education, offers us extraordinary support, especially in the path towards European integration".