OSCE works with authorities in Skopje to reverse segregation in education
Since the signing of the Ohrid Framework Agreement, which ended the 2001 armed conflict, much has changed for the better. Minority rights have been expanded and the country's political system has become more inclusive of minority communities.
Education has benefited from this change, too. Mother tongue education has taken root at the primary and secondary levels and new textbooks and curricula have been designed for minority schools. Scores of graduates from minorities have made it into universities and now have every chance of excelling in life.
There is, however, a dark lining to this silver cloud. The new educational opportunities have not resulted in school playgrounds resonating with a euphonic mix of different languages. Instead, schools have largely become mono-ethnic, and students of various ethnic backgrounds rarely play, study or meet each other these days. Recently, in fact, a number of school fights have broken out between students of different ethnic communities.
Unwelcome segregation
Why is segregation unwelcome or even dangerous for inter-ethnic relations in the country?
Firstly, minority students often speak the state language poorly upon leaving school. This hampers their chances to fully participate in the public life of the country. Secondly, they often learn different versions of key events in the country's history, such as the armed conflict of 2001, and grow up with a confused knowledge about the culture and traditions of their next-door neighbours. This feeds ethnic stereotypes and misperceptions.
Segregation is on the rise, especially in the country's western part, which has a sizeable Albanian minority. The stance of many parents and teachers, backed by school management and local authorities, compounds the challenge there.
"Nowadays, multi-ethnic schools experience several degrees of segregation," explains Ticiana Garcia-Tapia, Education Development Officer in the OSCE Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje.
"In some schools, in Kumanovo and Tetovo, for instance, segregation is virtually complete, as students go to separate buildings to study. Some, like the one in Struga, are well on their way to completing the process. But there are still bright spots, schools which do offer chances, though often limited, for inter-ethnic contact. This is where a difference can be made," she argues.
Romeo and Juliet in Kicevo
Ethnic Albanian Rrahim Ramadani and ethnic Macedonian Ivona Gorgioska, both 15, attend Mirko Mileski secondary school in Kicevo, a small town in the western part of the country. Ethnic Albanians and ethnic Macedonians study in different language streams in this school, but they can at least see each other every day. Unfortunately, this does not necessarily translate into contact.
Rrahim and Ivona are now good friends. Both find it hard to believe that, although they have gone to the same school for many years, it was only six months ago that they got to know each other, at an OSCE-organized training session.
The training sessions on ethnic stereotypes, discrimination, inter-cultural communication and conflict resolution are run jointly by the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, the OSCE Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje and the local non-governmental organization "Macedonian Civic Education Centre". They are followed by extra-curricular activities, such as study trips to Skopje, visits to churches and mosques, theatre plays and sports competitions.
The after-school OSCE training attended by Rrahim and Ivona culminated in a stage production of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" this February. "We had only 20 days to prepare everything and this meant that we really had to work hard together," says Rrahim, who played the part of Lord Montague. "But we didn't mind, it was a lot of fun."
The existence of an integrated education system is a key precondition for genuine multi-ethnic societies, in which all ethnic majorities and minorities feel secure and respected.
On 28 February, Kicevo's Cultural Centre was packed for the show. The actors spoke different languages during the play. But the audience of teachers, pupils, parents and local officials had no problem following the plot, rewarding the amateur actors with standing ovations after each act.
Ivona says such extra-curricular activities make her feel more comfortable in school. "We say hello to each other now when we meet in the school grounds and some project participants have become my good friends."
Need for intervention
Projects like the one conducted in Kicevo are important. They cannot, however, be a substitute for state action. Only comprehensive and resolute intervention on the part of policy makers and legislators will reverse segregation.
The Government in Skopje has agreed to work with the High Commissioner's office on developing desegregation policies. As a part of this joint work, local education experts will be trained to implement and monitor the progress of the policies developed.
"The existence of an integrated education system is a key precondition for genuine multi-ethnic societies, in which all ethnic majorities and minorities feel secure and respected," says the High Commissioner, Ambassador Knut Vollebaek.
"The school system is a powerful mechanism, which has the potential to turn the rhetoric of building a multi-ethnic state into concrete action," he concludes.