Recycling championship preparations due to start

In the Education Ministry, on March 10th, a meeting was held with the aim of laying out plans for the recycling championship. This event was started last year with competing Shkodra high schools, while this year it will be held also in other 9 Albanian cities. It is Tirana, Durrës, Fier, Elbasan, Berat, Gjirokastra, Korça, Lezha, and Saranda, which will join Shkodra initiative to promote recycling through organizing sportive events in city schools.

The meeting was attended by leaders of regional Educational Directorates, Educational Offices and Regional Environmental Agencies. The program manager, Ms. Valbona Karakaçi, presented the main pillars of the programs and the DLDP objectives for this important initiative. She highlighted the fact that the recycling championship will mobilize a great number of students in the whole country and will have the support, apart from the Swiss Embassy, of some other important donors.

The policies of the Environmental Ministry and the importance of environmental education for a cleaner Albania were the main talking points of the Deputy Minister from this ministry, Mrs. Olijana Ifti. Meanwhile, Mrs. Nora Malaj, Deputy Minister of the Education Ministry, stressed the fact that this initiative coincided with the governmental strategy of turning schools in community centers. “Education through play” will make possible that by means of recreation students will increase their knowledge and have a greater responsibility toward environment. Recycling makes everybody a winner, not only students and schools. There is money to be gained through letter, card box and plastics gathering and recycling by students and schools, but also the surrounding community gains a healthier environment.

Latter on the DLDP presented to the attendees the proposed scheme for organizing the championship in these cities, as well as for the playoffs to be held in national level. The involved actors, tasks and results to be expected were discussed in the meeting with educational and environmental experts present. The next meeting will include the presentation of an integrated material which will reflect all given recommendations that in turn will be incorporated into a work plan with a clear schedule. After the end of the preparatory phase (within March) and the coordination between institutions and donors engaged in this project, the championship will be launched.