Kujtim Satana: Cigarettes and cannabis is “killing” today’s students
“Smoking and cannabis…. Of course, these vices that are gradually ‘killing’ our youth were unimaginable at that time”. This is the opinion of Kujtim Satana, a teacher who has taught in many schools of the country and who, today, expresses his concerns about all the problems that Albanian education system has, through an interview offered for Albanian Free Press. “Every school encounters this problem. Schools and society will only win once this illness and insanity no longer exists”, he adds. He also says that “with the development of technology of information, there’s less interest on what the teacher explains”. “Although the rules make it very clear, the use of mobile phones is an illness that has affected every classroom”, he stresses…
Interviewed for Albanian Free Press by Albert Zholi
Were pupils and students at that time more interested on what was taught in the classroom?
Compared to today’s students, in that period, students were more timid and more obedient. Most of the students who were in the classroom were interested to hear the lesson. Of course, there were also students who didn’t pretend for much and came to school just to get their certificate. Some came after they had completed tiresome chores that their parents had given them at home and could not concentrate. The situation changed in the capital’s schools. Students were more active, they preferred different games such as football, volleyball and basketball , which were followed with great enthusiasm during the break or after school. But, the respect that students had for teachers was the same in the city’s schools and the village’s school.
How did the students and the people see the teacher during that regime?
The regime considered the teacher as a soldier, who had to serve everywhere the country needed him. But the people had a different perception on the teachers, wherever they were, in the villages or the cities. They saw the teacher as a second parent of their children. They shared everything they had with them, they offered them accommodation, they offered them free dairy products or products from their gardens and invited in each party that they organized at home.
Was bribery known as a phenomenon in that system?
During the communist state, the words bribery and corruption were never used. At that time, private work was not known, there were no tenders and no envelopes filled with money went around, as it often happens today. The only richness that most people had was their work and mind. Both of these were rewarded collectively based on the work which was also done collectively. There was a big propaganda against “tips” in every service that was offered. In the education system, teachers had a particular salary, they didn’t offer private classes outside school hours. “Bribery” at that time was offered through coffee and Fernet at the café, but this is as far as this went.
What are the problems that the education system has today?
Today’s education system has seen many changes which respond to the economic and social-cultural development of the country, social order, new concepts with new rules and mentalities created by free movement and opening with the world. There have also been significant changes with the educational programs, teaching methods and learning process. Today, education is facing big demographic movements, from rural to urban areas. Emigration continues to see the intellectual elite leave toward the most developed European and world countries. Density of students in the capital is growing as a result of people moving from all areas of the country. This can be normalized in the required standards with the opening of new schools. With the development of IT, we see less interest of the students during lessons. The use of mobile phones during lessons is a phenomenon that today’s teachers face. Although the rules make it very clear, the use of mobile phones is an illness that has affected every classroom.
Smoking and cannabis have become a real concern. Were they even imagined in the past in schools? How can they be prevented today?
Of course, these bad vices which are gradually “killing” our youngsters today could not be imagined up until yesterday. Smoking has expanded significantly in the past two decades. Although it’s not massive, it often becomes scary, especially when it’s associated with cannabis. This plant now occupies areas which used to be cultivated with crops. Almost every school is facing such phenomenon. Schools and society will only win once this illness and insanity no longer exist. But to fight it, there must be awareness, there must be cooperation between teachers, parents and society; there must be a frontal fight with the involvement of all players.
CRITICISM
“Many books without any values are being published”
“Currently, in our country, we’re seeing a high volume of translations by foreign authors, which are in high demand by the reader. Many books by Albanian authors are also being published. But many of these books are published without meeting any criteria in terms of values. You just go to a publishing house, pay its fees and the book is printed. During the beginning of pluralism, private publishing houses had renowned critics and writers who assessed the publications. Today, this is no longer the case, maybe due to the financial costs.
We no longer have proper analytical criticism. Basically, it depends on the reader to decide whether a book survives or fails”.
APPEAL
“There must be uniforms for school children”
“I believe that it’s a big must. Not only for grammar schools, but also for high schools and their pedagogical staff. The uniform is necessary at school, because it doesn’t allow students to adapt extravagant styles, which are often indecent and not at all functional at school. Imagine how the physical training class would be without the respective uniform.
