Coffee Talk with UNICEF: Youth Education

UNICEF in partnership with United Nations Association Albania, organized today a virtual Coffee Talk event centered around Youth Education. The informal discussion, part of the larger UN75 Initiative in Albania, gathered 24 young Albanians from 8 different cities, who joined the UN75 dialogue alongside UNICEF Representative in Albania. The participants exchanged views on the current situation of youth education in Albania and key issues that need to be addressed: equitable access to learning opportunities, improved learning skills for all and adaptability amidst fragile contexts.

The prominent role of UNICEF, as an organization who launched a “every child learns” development strategy - whereby an overwhelming focus was given to ECE (early childhood education) strategies -, as the basis of an inclusive and equitable future education, was widely discussed. Furthermore, other factors such as limited institutional capacity to plan, implement and assure quality at scale of early childhood education programs; limited coordination or/and coherence among partners at national or global level; were mentioned in order to further elaborate the progress of such campaigns.

The participants shared their personal experiences of the effects of the COVID 19 pandemic in education and stated the need for immediate investment in digital curricula and digital infrastructure in schools as well as the need for a strategy that leaves no one behind.