22 primary school children from the village of Jubë e Poshtme near Durres, in central Albania, walk 3 hours every day to learn, after a government decision dated March 1, 2023, has taken away their allowance to transport.
The parents of these children complained to the Fiks Fare program about the transportation problem, since as of March 26, 2024, they no longer receive the monthly transportation payment of 1,500 lek, even though the distance of the school from their homes is over 2 kilometers.
Parents require safe transport for their children from the village of Jubë e Siperme to Jubë e Poshtme, where the school is located. But this is not supported by the law, since has been decided that students who have an existing school in their area of residence and if the distance is more than 2 km, do not benefit from the transportation payment.
The journalists together with the children of the Jubë village left in the early hours of the morning on foot towards the school. The children expressed the troubles they encounter every day on the road. The main problem is the vehicles as they speed by, and they also say that due to the rain, the roads are filled with water and they cannot pass. The children said that there are also snakes on the street and they feel threatened. In a part of their walk they pass by the cemetery: “We are very afraid when we pass by the cemetery, we are very scared because we are small”, says one of the children.
The Administrator of the Administrative Unit, Denis Ballo, when asked by the journalists of the Fiks Fare show, admits the problem. He says that this problem is not only in the village of Juba, but also in other villages as a result of “a violation that was found by the audit”. He also shows that he has inquired several times with the relevant institutions where he was told that according to a decision, the students of the village of Jubë do not benefit from the transport fund.
The journalists of the show Fiks Fare requested an answer from the Regional Directorate of Pre-University Education, Durrës. In an interview Redi Biturku, a lawyer in this directorate says that a reconfirmation procedure has been carried out for students who benefit from transport payments, in accordance with the guidelines and implementation of decree no. 119. “But unfortunately we are forced to implement it,” concludes the education office lawyer.
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