Dragi Zmijanac, MEGJASHI Minister and the Deputy Minister of Education and Science is to get out of

the office and cross the street.

Faktor.mk 14/05/2014

Namely, students (Secondary School Plenum) have boycotted the school classes for six weeks and

they have continued their boycott in tents outside the Ministry for two weeks. What is your

assessment of this situation?

The high school students are exhausted, disappointed and depressed by the ignorance of the

Ministry of Education and Science. They are firmly convinced and confident that their demands are

directed towards quality and inventive education. They require active participation in all decisions

concerning the improvement of the educational system and have ideas how to improve it. They are,

among other things, excellent students who through the plenum discuss and agree on the next steps

they plan to take.

-Although there have been three consecutive meetings with the competent they ended

unsuccessfully. According to the students at the meetings they did not focus on finding mutually

acceptable solutions but the competent talked about the intentions of the responsible students to

return to classes and to embrace the reforms, as well as about the consequences of their activities.

What did your monitoring determine?

Our monitoring found that the Ministry of Education and Science demands "legitimate" partner in

negotiations as they say, and do not accept the formal association and activism of the students as

partners. Citizens or, in this case, students have the right to organize themselves through informal

forms of associations and to advocate for them before the institutions pertaining the requirements.

My impression is that they are smart and inventive young people who have the energy, knowledge

and ideas how to improve the education and the same to be in their function, how the teachers and

principals to be supportive, but not their obstacle. Therefore the resistance or resentment happened

and they publicly manifested them for a long period. They design their actions in democratic way,

with active participation and sharing and they are worthy representative for negotiations with any

state institutions. The institutions should not outwit with these young people who have their own

attitude, know what they want and are willing to persevere in their struggle for better quality

education. MES should recognize this potential, to honor it and take their ideas and initiatives which

are exceptional and are in their best interest into consideration seriously.

-What, according to you, is missing in the educational system and how should in particular the views

and opinions of the students be taken into account in bringing educational reform?

The participation of the high school students in any decisions that affect them are important and

non-exclusive. It is not possible any decision to be taken without their participation, without a

consultative process of decision making by the students. Otherwise there is discontent, rebellion and

resistance. It is inadequate and unacceptable the high school students not to be involved in making

decisions that are of vital importance about the educational system, whether it encourages active

citizens or not? The high school students have the right and obligation to be consulted, to

participate, create, share and build common educational values and standards that will meet their

needs and expectations. The education system should be created and tailored to fit the students in

order to participate in it actively, despite the parents and professors, a system from which will have

equal benefit not only those involved in creating educational policies, but also the wider community.

This generation of young activists and high school students who decided to speak up is worthy and

valuable of respect and we must not sacrifice it in outwitting them, in a demonstration of power.

They should be a warning for us because we forgot the importance of active participation of children

and schoolchildren. They should be our stimulus and incentive how to create education that will fit

the students.

-What are the major objections that are detected with respect to violations of domestic and

international regulations regarding the rights of freedom of expression and the rights of children?

Ministry of Education and Science infringe the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the

Child, which in Article 12 provides that any country, to a child who is capable of forming his or her

own opinion, is obliged to give the right of free expression of opinion for all the rights that concern,

paying a due attention to the child. We have appealed many times before that the Convention on

the Rights of the Child (CRC) recognizes the child's right to participate, which means the child to be

heard and consulted on matters and decisions of his/her interest! The participation of children is one

of the four core principles of the Convention, apart from the right of survival and development, non-

discrimination and the best interests of the child.

-What is your message to the high school students and the competent how to find solutions?

My first recommendation to the Minister and the Deputy Minister of Education and Science is to get

out of the office and cross the street. To sit down and talk to students in their camp. Or to hear how

they think or agree on actions that relate exactly to them in order to elicit attention and to

understand more seriously what actually they advocate for and fight these youngsters who serve the

requirements and efforts as representatives of the thousands of high school students who must not

go out and join them for a variety of threats and pressures they suffer at home and at school. These

brave and consistent pupils in their intentions must not be ignored by the ministers from MES and

allow them to be victims, but rather together with them to agree on changes that would be in their

function, in the best interests of all high school students. Otherwise the high school students will

take more radical forms of resistance and to any future health consequences of the children the

Ministry of Education and Science will bear the direct responsibility.

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