A public debate dedicated to the new Draft Law on Higher Education was held in the Senate Hall at the Rectorate of the “Goce Delcev” University in Stip, attended by the Minister of Education and Science, Vesna Janevska.
The debate was attended by professors, assistants, students, representatives of institutions and interested citizens, who actively participated with their suggestions and comments. During the discussion, specific comments were made on the text of the Law.
Some of the suggestions were accepted and will be incorporated into the future version, while some remain subject to additional analysis and consideration.
The debate took place in a constructive atmosphere, with an open exchange of arguments and views, which represents a significant step towards creating a higher quality and sustainable legal solution for higher education.
Rector Mirakovski: A clear qualitative framework is needed
The Rector of the UGD, Dejan Mirakovski, emphasized that the University had the opportunity to hear the views of the Ministry of Education and Science and to present its own positions on the legal solution that is being prepared.
“As a university, we have already had internal discussions on this topic and today is the time for our views to be discussed. I am generally satisfied that the need for a law that will provide a clear qualitative framework for the development of universities is being accepted. This is something that we really need,” the Rector pointed out.
He emphasized that the remarks of the UGD have been synthesized and will be officially presented. One of the key remarks concerns the normalization of conditions, i.e. the establishment of equal criteria for large and small universities. A discussion was also opened on the inclusion of the SCOPUS database as relevant for this region, given that it includes a significant number of conferences and scientific papers. The remaining remarks, according to the Rector, are mostly formal and expect quick harmonization in the further discussion.
Minister Janevska: A new legal solution is necessary
The Minister of Education and Science, Vesna Janevska, noted that the debate in Stip is the fifth public debate in a row on the Law on Higher Education and the Law on Quality in Higher Education, with two more debates remaining until the consultation process is finalized.
After the public debates are completed, the acceptable remarks will be corrected, while some of them will be additionally reviewed by the working group. Then, the Law will be published on ENER for a short period, in order for the academic community to see the changes made and react in a timely manner, after which it will enter the government procedure.
“Macedonia needs a new legal solution for higher education. It is necessary to raise the quality, with the proactivity of the academic community, especially in scientific research. Education and scientific research are two inseparable entities – we cannot have a good professor at the academic level who does not follow the news in his field,” Janevska emphasized.
