An older statement from former Education Minister Arbr Ademi added to the confusion surrounding the controversial education reform pushed by his successor Mila Carovska.
Carovska wants to have a number of elementary school classes abolished and rolled into one large class. This will affect both STEM sciences and civics, but the public worries that the main reason for the “reform” is to abolish history as a stand-alone class and to thoroughly revise history books. This is a long standing demand from Bulgaria and Greece, which want to do away with Macedonian national identity, and under the plan, history would be combined with elements of geography and civics.
Carovska defended the “reform” insisting that it is what kids in Finland learn, and also that it was part of a program supported by the OECD and their PISA testing. Macedonian emigrants in Finland made sure to deny the first claim.
And now even the second claim is being debunked. In a statement he made a year ago, then Education Minister Ademi said that OECD is in fact opposed to abolishing stand-alone classes in favor of bigger, combined classes.
Take the combining of music and art. I was in Paris for the OECD conference two weeks ago and this was criticized by all parties. It is not recommended that countries do so. Or combining STEM sciences with civics. It is not recommended. What is good was already implemented here, Ademi said at the time.
Carovska already faces opposition from main scientific institutions in Macedonia. But the Government, under tremendous pressure from Bulgaria, seems determined to move ahead. A pro-forma debate is taking place, with Government appointees pushed to give statements of support, and the Ministry is expected to announce its final decision in January.
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