On April 12, 2023, the Certification Ceremony for participants who successfully completed the Compulsory Preparatory Training Program (CTP) for pre-university education principals took place.

The event was attended by Ms. Evis Kushi, Minister of Education and Sports, Mr. Aleksandër Sarapuli, Co-Executive Director of the Albanian American Development Foundation; university rectors; group leaders and trainers, as well as key collaborators of the Center for School Leadership (CSL).

During the ceremony, 283 participants were certified, including:

• 162 participants from the fourth cohort who began in January 2022
• 46 participants who completed the Professional Development and Qualification Program offered by IZHA in 2016 but underwent the CSL’s application and certification testing process
• 75 participants from previous cohorts who successfully completed the testing process

Ms. Evis Kushi, Minister of Education and Sports, addressed the audience, emphasizing the need for certified school principals in Albanian educational institutions.

Mr. Aleksandër Sarapuli, Co-Executive Director of the Albanian American Development Foundation, also delivered remarks, highlighting that the quality of education—both in general and specifically in pre-university settings—remains a top priority for the Foundation, as the development and progress of a nation depend heavily on education.

Thanks to a cooperation agreement with the School Leadership Training Center at the prestigious Harvard Graduate School of Education in the United States, three Merit Scholarships were awarded to participants with the highest certification results to benefit from training programs offered by this center.

By the completion of the four CTP cohorts, a total of 616 school principals have been certified to lead educational institutions.

Let’s continue promoting excellence and driving improvement and change!