The unfulfilled promise for the 'Edith Durham' school in Tirana

The new Edith Durham School building has been completed, but its students have not yet returned to class. The issue was brought back to the fore this Thursday in the Assembly, during an interpellation requested by Socialist MP Erion Braçe with Education Minister Mirela Kumbaro. At the center of the debate was the unfulfilled promise, the opening of the school in September of last year.

Braçe, who represents the area of ​​unit no. 5 in Tirana where the school is located, recalled the chronology of the project and the expectations that were created among parents. According to him, the works had started in December 2024 and during a field visit in March last year, a clear deadline for their completion was set.

"In March of last year, the prime minister was there. The work had started in December 2024 and in March a clear deadline was set for the school to be completed in September. The school was completed in October, we are in March. There are at least 1700-1800 parents in great difficulty. When will the '11 Janari (Edith Durham) school open?", said Braçe.

On the other hand, the Minister of Education admitted that the deadline of last September was not met, but explained that the building has already been completed and that the school is going through the final phase of equipping it with furniture and laboratories.

"I share your concern equally. As we speak, the construction has been completed. It is not enough to finish the walls. The furnishing by the Municipality of Tirana is being completed. Some of the furniture has entered the building," declared Kumbaro.

According to her, the new school will have 33 classrooms, of which 20 for the 9-year cycle, as well as 10 laboratories for various subjects, a multimedia room, a gym and a library.

The Minister said that students will temporarily continue their studies at the 'Emin Duraku' school and that the return to the new building is expected to occur at the beginning of the new school year.

"Students will be back very soon. Ideally in September of next year," she said.

But, as MP Braçe said, the problem is not simply related to the physical distance from the temporary school where the students have been relocated, but to the organization of family life. Currently, the students of "Edith Durham" are studying in the premises of the "Emin Duraku" school, in the afternoons.

"It seemed to me that I was the only one not in solidarity with the construction of this school. I have not brought personal concern here, this is the concern of parents. It is not a matter of meters, but the fact that the teaching process has been shifted from morning to afternoon. Parents have to leave work to take their children to school at lunchtime," he said.

Brace also stressed that the delays could have been avoided if the procedures for furnishing and laboratories had been initiated earlier.

"Since June of last year, when I saw the pace of work, I have been asking them to deal with the procedures. If someone sleeps, neither the child nor the parent should suffer," the MP added.

The Promise

The reconstruction of the school was announced in November 2024 by Erion Veliaj, the mayor of Tirana. “September 2025 will find the children in the new classrooms,” Veliaj promised on social media.

The same promise was repeated in January 2025, when Veliaj, together with Finance Minister Delina Ibrahimaj (at the time), ensured that the deadline was irreversible.

September 2025 was also promised by Prime Minister Edi Rama a year ago during the inspection of the construction site.

But two months before the promised deadline, Faktoje's verification showed that the works were still far from expectations. In July 2025, the Municipality of Tirana claimed that the works were only 80% complete, but despite this, promised that the school would be ready for the 2025–2026 school year.

cONcluSiON 

The publicly promised deadline for the completion and opening of the school was September of last year. Although the building was completed a few months later and is currently being furnished, students have not yet started the teaching process in the new building. Under these conditions, the opening of the school is expected to occur about a year after the originally promised deadline, turning this case into another example of public promises that are not fulfilled within the announced deadlines./ Esmeralda topi, Faktoje.al