POLITICAL PING-PONG

Boycott by Albanian Students

AIM Skopje, 19 December, 1996

Although the Ministry of Education had ordered the Faculty of Pedagogy to organize teaching in Albanian language, the dean refused to do it referring to the Constitution, while students of Albanian nationality are continuing their three-month long strike

Six months after tragic developments occasioned by opening of the Tetovo university in Albanian language, in October 1995 the Macedonian Government reached a decision to start educating future teachers of Albanian nationality at the Faculty of Pedagogy in Skopje. Practically overnight, professors of Albanian nationality were found and engaged and teaching of almost all subjects in Albanian began. In this way, the Macedonian Government had something to show the international observers who in large numbers came (and still do) to Macedonia in order to establish facts concerning the so-called "university controversy" which took one life and threatened stability of the country. Although it was quite obvious that the main intention of opening of this Faculty was a political one aimed to alleviate the pressure of the international community directed towards legalization of the Tetovo university, this move has brought great relief to the Government. From that moment the Government could brag that it had "solved the problem of university education in Albanian language" and that Tetovo university was "a political and not an educational problem". However, in the very beginning of the second school year, in October this year, boycott began. Students of Albanian nationality who, instead of the Tetovo university, chose to study at the Faculty of Pedagogy which is under the auspices of the Government (and teaching could nevertheless be in the "non-constitutional" Albanian language), were deeply disappointed when they realized that as of this year, after the world had received the message, everything would go back to "normal", that is that teaching would continue in Macedonia language. The answer was quite simple, but it seems the only possible one in the current political milieu in Macedonia, although to the detriment of the students.

Although the Government, or rather the Ministry of Education, had previously forwarded its decision that teaching should take place in mother tongue of the students in order to meet the international obligation on protection of identity of ethnic minorities, the dean of the faculty refused referring to the Constitution pursuant to which teaching in university education can take place only in the official, i.e. Macedonian language. The stance of the dean remained unchanged even after the Government published its stance that the issue of language in which teaching will take place was not within the competence of the faculty or the Skopje University which is in the back of the affair. The mentioned dean who got public support of right-oriented Macedonian opposition, declared that the Government had no right to place itself above the parliament and the law.

The counter argument of the Government was that its decision was quite in agreement with the spirit of the Constitution of the country which prescribes that elementary and secondary education should be in mother tongue, which in itself imposed the need for educating personnel who would carry out that teaching prescribed by the Constitution.

The Albanian political subject in Macedonia, and especially the Party for Democratic Prosperity which participates in the coalition Government, experienced this as a political ping-pong of the Macedonians conceived in order to create the impression that the Government had good will, but "there is a certain dean who is taking the law in his hand", but who could not be resented for it because "after all the man is right" as Article 7 of the Constitution speaks in favour of his allegation. As the only solution in this blind alley, the need to have a new law imposed itself, but now the Albanians do not agree because it would be a partial solution. They believe that a global solution would be adoption of a law on university education (which is already being drafted) which would anticipate teaching in languages of ethnic minorities. But, to make the confusion complete, such solution is refused by the Government, which refers to the same argument as the mentioned dean of the Faculty of pedagogy, that is, that anything of the kind would be contrary to the Constitution!? The Party for Democratic Prosperity whose participation in the Government is believed to be the key factor for internal stability of the country, several times warned that it would leave state institutions if a law which prevents university education in Albanian language were adopted. If this threat comes true it would probably lead to dissolution of the Government which is already shaken because of "turncoats" of the Socialist Party into the opposition during the local elections. The Social Democratic Alliance of Macedonia which is the main "bearer" of the Government, can do nothing but choose between two solutions: to accept the demand of the Albanians and be forced to answer to the opposition for it which will probably increase its demands for early elections, or to refuse these demands in the style of the mentioned dean and risk to get a single-national Government opposed to the Albanian block which would then probably resort to more radical measures in the future.

IBRAHIM MEHMETI