Protests in Macedonia, after religion classes stopped by the Constitional Court

In many former communist states, the inclusion of religion classes in school - mostly compulsory - was considered a top priority in terms of education. The decision was took mostly at the political level, under the pressure of the religious leaders - mostly in the Christian-Orthodox countries, following a long Byzantine tradition of "symphonic" dialogue between state and religious authorities, with advantages for both sides. The public debate lacked completely and the voices of the "civil society" are the echoes of the religious establishment. From a context to another, the risks of a high presence of religious leaders and influence in the public sphere are varying. For the Macedonian case, we should keep in mind that less than a decade, it went through a bloody ethnic conflict.

FOCUS News Agency

April 23

Skopje. Religion teachers as well as representatives of non governmental organizations from several Macedonian towns gathered Wednesday in front of building of Constitutional Court in Skopje. They protested against court’s decision on stopping religion teaching in secondary school, Utrinski vesnik informs. Teachers called the court “Defender of Stalinism and Marxism”. They asked court to stop taking politically motivated decisions.

There were “anonymous” non governmental organizations among protestors. Some of the attendants said they are from local VMRO-DPMNE committees in Center and Gazi Baba municipalities. Other said they are citizens, edition informs.

Macedonian Constitutional Court abolishes Religious Instruction in School

Makfax

April 15

The subject of religious instruction will no longer be studied in primary schools, pursuant to the ruling of the Macedonian Constitutional Court abol

The subject of religious instruction will no longer be studied in primary schools, pursuant to the ruling of the Macedonian Constitutional Court abolishing the Article 26 of the Law on Elementary Education, adopted in 2008.

The abolished article said "religious instruction can be studied in the primary schools as a subject of personal choice."

The Court said that the article in question contravened the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia.

The proposal for abolishment of the Article 26 was tabled by the Liberal-Democratic, which explained that it breached the Constitutional provision that says the Republic of Macedonia is a secular state in which the religious education can be organized on a voluntary basis outside the schools, and by no means in the framework of the compulsory elementary education.

The subject religious instruction was introduced in elementary education in 2008/09 school year. It comprised courses in two subjects of choice - Religion Teaching and History of Religions.

OSCE: Ethnic segregation in education must be prevented

SKOPJE, 30 January 2009 - The OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM), Knut Vollebaek, today warned the authorities in Skopje about the negative consequences that increasingly segregated education will have on the society.

"Creeping separation is, unfortunately, becoming a reality in the country. This is a worrisome trend and is a setback for your society. Segregation undermines the very basis on which your children learn to build a shared society," Vollebaek said during his visit to the country.

In his talks with the President, the Prime Minister and other high officials, as well as representatives of national minorities, Vollebaek focussed on the need for integrated education, the situation of the country's smaller ethnic communities and the implementation of minority-related legislation and court decisions.

"Your country has made headway in the past few years in some key areas of education, including mother-tongue tuition, the depoliticization of education and increased parental involvement in local municipalities. This progress should not be undercut by increased ethnic separation," he told the authorities..

The authorities, including the Prime Minister and the Education Minister, agreed to work closely with the HCNM to ensure that such separation be stopped and reversed.

Vollebaek also visited the municipalities of Kicevo and Tetovo as well as Struga where problematic inter-ethnic relations among students require particular attention. In addition, he discussed integrated education in a speech to students at the South East European University in Tetovo, as well as with a group of parliamentarians in Skopje.