High School Graduates Can�t Enter Dialogue with Unversity Entry Policy-Makers

13 April 2006

On April 3, 2006, the Youth Education Forum organized a public debate �University Enrollment 2006�, with the aim to raise the question of university entry policies for this academic year.

�The invited speakers from the Office of the Rector of the University of Skopje, the Ministry of Education and Science that were to present their views and positions to the high school graduates as directry involved actors in enrollment policies did not show up�, says MOF in a public statement.

As a result, the high school graduates didn�t have an opportunity for direct discussion with the competent institutions and get answers to questions of their interest.

MOF believes that the issue of enrollment policies remains unsolved this year. In spite of the unofficial information from the faculties, less then a month before the end of the school year, the high school graduates still face many unanswered questions.

For that reasons, MOF reminds the Rector�s Office of its statement of April 3, that by April 14 at the latest, it will submitt its final proposal on enrollment to the Ministry of Science and Education. At the same time, MOF expects from the Ministry to review the proposal without further delay and to publish the decision it adopts immediately.

The Youth Education Forum is also dissatisfied with the inactivity of the high school student unions and their undecisiveness regarding enrollment policies and other issues of direct concern to high school students. MOF believes that their passivity, inaccessibility and dependence can�t contribute to improved quality of education and, furthermore, can�t protect their rights.

MOF condemns the refusal by the repsesentatives of a students� union to present their views and opinions under the excuse that they are not authorized to speak in public without prior coordination with the Ministry of Education.