The Government can’t, but the non-governmental “Nansen Dialogue Center” can do it. While harsh debates are going on in Macedonia about when should Albanian first grade students start learning the Macedonian language and should Macedonian first grade students learn the Albanian language, the dilemmas in Preljubiste, Tetovo region have been overcome a long time ago.
The Albanian and Macedonian students study in the same classroom, in both languages, at the same time. Having two teachers, in both languages, with same uniforms and same opportunities through a project of the non-governmental Nansen Dialogue Center from Skopje and a financial support from the Kingdom of Norway, it is a European educational model in Macedonia.
“We were facing some problems at the beginning, but by explaining it is all behind us now”, says the Project Leader, Saso Stojkovski, in the interview for A1TV. “The biggest role for beginning of this project was among the parents of the Albanian and Macedonian students, the program for bilingual integrated education and the training of teachers who should implement this program. When we unite all these components, excellent results are inevitable”, said Saso Stojkovski, Executive Director of the NGO “Nansen Dialogue Center”.
How come the decision of the Government has not been implemented? Stojkovski says: “Only part of Volebek’s strategy has been promoted; there was no work on the field to get familiar with the strategy; the whole thing has been rushed in a way.”
“The strategy or the document for integrated education has been selectively interpreted by certain politicians and that is somehow the reason for the boycott. In my opinion, in order to overcome the situation and ease the tensions, the personal decision of the Minister needs to be withdrawn”, Stojkovski says. “According to the model that is being implemented in Preljubiste, after the end of the regular classes, the students from both ethnic communities are gathering together in the classroom, they sit next to each other; they learn the same lesson on both languages. This is how they learn the terminology and hang out together”, the teachers say.
“None of the Albanian kids spoke the Macedonian language, now all of them understand it, because this is the second year that we work with them. No matter which teacher asks them something either in Macedonian or Albanian, all students understand”, says teacher Linda Jashari.
“Working in such school and in such way is beautiful and also a great pleasure. Before starting with the program, the children were attending workshops where they were preparing to be part of the program”, says teacher Elizabeta Stamenkovska.
70% of the teaching that is being implemented by “Nansen Dialogue Center” in the school in Tetovo is exactly the Strategy for integrated educational system which still hasn’t been accepted by the Bureau for development of teaching.
In one month, the construction of the first secondary school integrated educational system will start next to the primary school. Whether this type of teaching will be a challenge for Minister Todorov, time will show.
Naim Vrenezi
