Tirana the capital now has an abundance of Internet cafes, a French patisserie, Irish pubs and so on jostling along with traditional cafes and bars. In the smaller cities and towns life is less fast paced and remnants of the Ottoman Era and communism are everywhere.  With 60 percent of its population Muslim, Albania is Europe’s only predominantly Islamic state. Orthodox Christians, living mostly in southern Albania, make up 20 percent of the population, and Roman Catholics, mainly in the north, make up another 10 percent. Religious divisions in Albania are not significant, and religious tolerance is such that members of the same family sometimes belong to different religions. Most Muslim Albanians are traditional Sunnites, but about one-fourth belongs to the Bektashi sect, a tolerant, unorthodox order. The Communist government outlawed all religions in 1967, making Albania the world’s first officially atheist country. Places of worship were closed, church property was confiscated, religious services were banned, and religious practitioners were persecuted. The ban on religion was lifted in 1990. Many churches and mosques have been rebuilt or reopened, and a growing number of people express religious beliefs. Albania was a firm supporter of the recent war in Iraq and sent soldiers to aid the US and British troops.

The Need for English language teaching in Albania is extremely important and the English language is a vital tool in Albania’s integration with the west. The foundation Language schools in Albania ”Praktikimi i Gjuhes – LSIA” a non-profit Charity No.37 based in both Albania and The UK was founded on April 1994. Our main activity is teaching English, free of charge or as cheaply as possible, currently fees do not exceed the equivalent of approximately 7 US dollars per month for English courses to Albanian students aged between 10 and 18, and adults of all ages. The school has branches in 16 other cities including, Durres, Kruje Berat, Kucove and Shijak, besides Tirana. We have around 3,500 students currently studying with us and have taught over 12,000 since we first opened.  The demand for our courses is increasing every day.