Findings from TALIS 2024 in Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia

Executive Summary

In 2024, five Western Balkan education systems – Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia – participated in the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS). TALIS results are based on self-reports from teachers and principals, offering insight into their opinions and perspectives of classroom experiences, their working conditions and their learning opportunities.

The region has a relatively stable supply of motivated teachers but retention risks, skill gaps and falling student numbers complicate workforce management

Teachers in the Western Balkans report strong professional motivation, higher than that often seen in the European Union (EU) and OECD. They also report experiencing less stress and higher job satisfaction, except in Serbia. However, in North Macedonia and Serbia, motivation and satisfaction tend to decline with experience and in Montenegro and Serbia over a quarter of all teachers report intending to leave the profession in the next five years. Across all systems, teachers with more experience more often report that their work negatively impacts their well-being, a pattern that is not typically seen in EU and OECD systems.

TALIS 2024 data suggest overall teacher supply in the region is stable, with no widespread shortages except in Montenegro. However, workforce management is becoming more complex. Except in Albania, many principals in all systems report shortages of teachers with specific competence in supporting students with special education needs (SEN) and, in Kosovo and Montenegro, for working in multicultural or multilingual settings. At the same time, systems must adapt to shrinking student populations, with particularly steep declines estimated for Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia. The face of the profession is also changing: teacher cohorts are ageing in Montenegro and Serbia and are increasingly feminised in Albania and Kosovo.

Teachers report frequently implementing practices that respond to students’ learning needs, but confidence is low when it comes to inclusive practices

Teachers across the region report frequently using adaptive teaching practices to respond to their students’ learning needs, including through digital tools and artificial intelligence (AI). They also report high self‑efficacy in such practices and few report needing related professional development, particularly in Albania and Kosovo. However, international assessment data show that many students in the region do not achieve expected levels of learning, suggesting that the ways in which teachers identify and respond to students’ learning needs are not always effective.

Confidence is lower for inclusive practices for students with more specific needs with more teachers in the region reporting related training needs, particularly for supporting those with SEN. In Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia, this is especially true among novice teachers. Moreover, reported shares of students with SEN are low across the region, indicating under-identification or limited integration. All five systems have introduced related policy efforts in recent years, including to increase teachers’ professional capacity for inclusive practice.

Teachers across the Western Balkans report more frequently implementing a range of assessment practices, both formative and summative, than their colleagues in the EU and OECD. Data indicate that more experienced teachers may favour summative approaches while also viewing them as a source of stress. Although teachers’ self-efficacy in implementing student assessment is high, one-fifth of teachers in Montenegro and Serbia report needing professional development on the topic.

Teachers in the region can access support structures throughout the career yet these are not always focused on enhancing practice, and engagement can be low

Formal induction programmes for novice teachers or those new to a school are widely available in the Western Balkans, particularly in Albania. However, they tend to focus on supervision rather than enhancing instructional practice. Mentoring is also widely available but much less commonly used. Unlike in many other TALIS countries, mentoring in the region shows no clear link to instructional confidence.

All five systems have formal professional learning requirements with near-universal participation, except in Kosovo. As in EU and OECD systems, courses or workshops dominate training with less frequent engagement in more intensive, school-embedded formats such as coaching. Moreover, while teachers report regularly collaborating on activities related to everyday tasks, such as discussing student progress or exchanging materials, they are less likely to participate in joint work to enhance instruction, such as peer observation, co-teaching or professional learning.

Teacher appraisal is well-established across the region. It is often followed by developmental support, and many teachers report having recently received feedback on their teaching. Although they generally view such processes positively, teachers report that the feedback they receive on specific teaching methods such as supporting students with SEN or teaching in multilingual and multicultural settings is less helpful.

Policy pointers for improving teacher policies and practice

Based on the analysis of TALIS 2024 data and policy research, four key policy themes emerge for Western Balkan policymakers to focus on as they continue pursuing their ambitions to improve teacher policies and practice and enhance education outcomes.

1. Help teachers better identify and respond to the learning needs of all students. This can include continuing to strengthen formative assessment, regularly determining learning needs to inform instruction, and enhancing the identification of specific learner needs, including SEN.

2. Strengthen teachers’ capacity to support students with specific needs, including SEN or diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. This may include expanding the training offer for trainee and in-service teachers on how to support these students and drawing further on specialist expertise within the system to provide professional and instructional support within schools.

3. Enhance instructional support during initial teacher education and for novice teachers by strengthening the practical orientation of initial education and focusing induction on improving classroom practice.

4. Ensure professional learning engages teachers in improving their practice across their career, and supports their well-being, by promoting school-embedded, practice-oriented learning and better understanding of teachers’ developmental needs at individual, school and system level.