Public or private "afterschool"? Zero cost for the parent, but the schedule remains the main challenge
The “After School” program will be extended during the 2026-2027 school year to 408 public schools across the country, creating a broad public alternative to private centers. The main advantage for families is financial, as the program is financed by the state budget and official documents do not provide for a fee for parents.
However, for families who work full-time, the main challenge remains time. For grades one through five, “After School” activities take place after school until around 3:00 PM, while in some models for grades one through three, dismissal is scheduled as early as 2:00 PM.
This creates a gap with the working hours of parents. In state administration, in institutions with working hours of 08:00-16:30, the difference is huge.
If the child leaves at 3:00 p.m., a parent who finishes work at 4:30 p.m. has a gap of 1 hour and 30 minutes. If the child leaves at 2:00 p.m., the difference reaches 2 hours and 30 minutes, not counting the travel time from work to school.
This is where the private sector maintains its advantage, which is flexibility.
Prices for private centers vary depending on the package. The lowest rates start at around 4,000-5,000 lek per month, while a large portion of the offers range between 8,000 and 13,000 lek. More expensive centers may also charge hourly rates.
For nine months of school, a family paying 8,000-13,000 lek per month can spend around 72,000-117,000 lek per year on afterschool alone.
In private, the hours are longer and more flexible, in some cases going until 6:00-7:00 PM.
Another advantage is that some private centers also offer service on Saturdays, which gives more flexibility to parents who work on weekends.
In this comparison, the public program has an indisputable cost advantage. For a family that currently pays around 10 thousand lek per month for afterschool, switching to the public program can save tens of thousands of lek over the course of the school year.
But the private sector continues to have an advantage in the element for which many families primarily request this service: covering the parent's work schedule.
Thus, the "After School" program can significantly reduce the financial burden on families and keep children in an organized environment after school, but the schedule until 2:00-3:00 PM still leaves a practical question open: Who picks up and who takes care of the child until the parent finishes work?
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