OSCE Mission to Skopje completes first phase of school safety project
The first phase of an OSCE-supported project to promote safety in schools will conclude in Skopje on 20 December 2012. The project was carried out by the OSCE Mission to Skopje in co-operation with the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and selected municipalities.
It brought together teachers, students, parents, police, social services staff and other concerned community members to jointly address the issue of school safety and succeeded in involving the students by encouraging them to take responsibility for safe schools.
Following successful pilots that established a school safety model in all local secondary schools in Kumanovo, Veles and Probistip, the OSCE Mission to Skopje introduced the project in the municipalities of Bitola, Tetovo, Ohrid, Struga, Gostivar, Kicevo and Makedonski Brod as well as Butel and Gazi Baba within the City of Skopje.
The project aims to support the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Education and Science, local-self government units and Local Prevention Councils in creating a sustainable prevention-orientated school safety model to contribute to overall safety and help reduce violent incidents and behaviour, including inter-ethnic intolerance among young people in secondary schools.