Minister of Education and Science Mila Carovska said on Wednesday that upcoming protests and the initiative to hold referendum over the education reform are constitutional rights. However, reform implementation resumes, focused on the needs of students. At the same time, North Macedonia will also invest in school infrastructure and strengthening teaching staff. The new education concept, she stressed, is expected to produce results in five-six years.
“These are all constitutional rights. The initiative has put forward their demands, the Ministry of Education has met with them and responded to their demands, which focused mainly on gender equality in education. Parliament has passed laws, endorsed by all political parties, which means there’s consensus over gender equality, which is a constitutional right and should be included in the education system. North Macedonia has ratified many conventions on this topic and has a responsibility to abide by them. I believe the initiative will discuss the response they’ve received,” Carovska told reporters following a visit to the “11 October” elementary school.
According to her, school infrastructure is just one segment of quality education. Therefore, teachers have to be properly instructed and have appropriate materials to transfer knowledge to their students.
“For years, we neglected investing in school infrastructure. We invested in monuments and other priority areas, forgetting that our greatest potential are people. They go through the education system to become productive citizens who respect civil values and know how to manage modern challenges. This is what the new concept aims to achieve. We expose students to knowledge through world-renowned system and integration of information so they can come to certain conclusions. Our textbooks are outdate and serve neither students, nor teachers,” the Education Minister noted.
According to her, reforms aren’t rushed, not on the contrary, their implementation is long overdue.
“If we had done this ten years ago, we wouldn’t be scoring so low today on international exams, which demonstrate that our children can’t learn because the system is unsuitable. International exams are based on interdisciplinarity. Our students are unfortunately not prepared to face modern challenges. We expect the new concept to show results in five to six years. At the same time, we’ll also invest in school infrastructure, curriculums and teaching materials,” Carovska said.
She added that the new draft-law on teachers, set to allow their immediate employment and give them a chance for career advancement, will contribute to increasing their integrity.
