AIDSSH welcomed Master’s students in English language teaching, from secondary and higher education at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, who, motivated by their course on “Critical Thinking,” sought to learn about the work of AIDSSH and the archive of the former State Security (1944–1991).
Familiarizing themselves with the documents of the communist dictatorship, the human stories, and the dramas of hundreds of thousands of families is an important part of the past that must be uncovered and not forgotten. Therefore, the Authority of the Files encourages students to get to know the AIDSSH archive and the materials preserved there, so they can begin to understand, analyze, evaluate, interpret, and draw lessons from the past.
In Albania, history has been taught, but without critical thinking. The archival documents of the former Sigurimi represent a turning point. Based on the role the Authority has taken in civic education for the public and students of the pre-university and university systems, it has promoted visits to the institution to familiarize them with the services offered, the archival documents, and the dark historical period the country went through under dictatorship.
“Learning from the Past – with Primary and Open Sources 1944–1991” is the strategic objective of the Authority of the Files for 2024. Within this framework, promoting visits to the Archive by students and pupils is a bridge to knowledge, aiming to make the mechanisms of totalitarian regimes more understandable and to show how the files of the former State Security can be used as study materials as well as teaching resources in the classroom.
‼ Preserving collective memory and fostering a culture of critical thinking are indispensable parts of building democratic values and human rights in the country.
