Preca College in Albania appealing for money

The seminal voluntary work initiated by Maltese members of the MUSEUM Christian doctrine society in Korca, Albania in 1990 has led to the reaping of excellent results, particularly in the form of Preca College.

Preca College is multi-denominational with a mixed population offering a four-year course for students, bridging the last two years of secondary school and the two years in what is the Maltese equivalent of the Junior College.

Lessons for the 120 students are conducted in English. The college has three Maltese teachers - Martin Grech, who has been in Korca for eight years; Lawrence Cachia, who has been in Korca for five years and Charles Camilleri, who has been there for 10 years.

The three teachers, members of the MUSEUM, are seconded and sponsored by the Maltese department of education.

Preca College has another 10 full-time university qualified teachers and four part-timers.

Manwel Catania, a member of the executive council of the MUSEUM, who is in charge of the mission in Albania, said Preca College, named after the founder of the MUSEUM, Blessed Dun Gorg Preca, is the only Catholic presence in Korca which has a population of 65,000 who are either Muslim or Greek Orthodox.

"In 1997, following the collapse of a pyramid scheme that left most of the population of Albania mercilessly poor, the people took to the streets in revolt and looted everything they could lay their hands on, including Preca College, which was pillaged.

"After the revolt died down, MUSEUM members returned to repair the damage and extend the college by a gym, two science labs, an IT lab, a library as well as a theatre," Mr Catania said.

The college is appealing for money to be able to furnish the labs and the library, apart from helping with running expenses.

Mr Catania said that for each of the past two years, the college has paid out some $60,000, or about Lm23,000, and another $10,000 in running expenses.

The students pay only a nominal fee of about Lm4 every three months.

"Were we to charge fees, the college would attract no students because no one can afford to pay proper school fees.

"The students are accepted at the college after passing an entrance examination and most of them manage to win scholarships in Greece, Turkey, the UK and the US after they complete their stint at the college," Mr Catania said.

Anyone who would like to assist the college to continue with its educational mission may do so by depositing a donation at the APS bank account number 132 049 300 16.

Alfred Buhagiar, president of the Malta Cross Corps, said the MCC had set up a trust with the name Preca College Foundation Albania to assist the college to raise money.

Mr Buhagiar, who is also chairman of the trust, said the MCC was one of the charities of the Association of the Knights of Malta. Yesterday, he presented a cheque to Mr Catania for money collected by the trust.

Preca College was set up through the financing and encouragement of the organisation SOS Albania.

On Saturday the MUSEUM will be marking the 123rd anniversary of the birth of Blessed Dun Gorg Preca.