The Ministry will do everything to keep the students. We give scholarships, we take care of the student standard. In the first hundred days, we are on the right track.

If the Government continues to function like this, I expect that the number of evictions will also decrease. This was stated by the Minister of Education and Science Vesna Janevska on “Sitel” television tonight.

– I had a meeting with the management of universities, in order to improve the quality of education. We all agree that the law on higher education should be changed, the criteria should be strengthened.

We start from the proposals of the academic community, then the Ministry would intervene.

We need papers with impact factors, we need projects with the European Union, with research centers, networking in European networks of universities, I believe that we will achieve all that in time.

But we will also need changes in our study programs to make them more attractive to students. To prepare them for the labor market, underlined the minister.

She announced a serious analysis of the needs of the labor market.

At the same time, he clarified that enrollment quotas will be determined according to the needs of the labor market, scholarships will be given to deficient professions with an appropriate obligation to invest a certain part of their working life in their own country.

The minister said that the specified number of educational assistants have entered the schools, they are working.

– I heard from several parents that they are missing somewhere, we will announce an additional competition for a certain number, to add as much as the budget allows.

For next year, we will determine a higher percentage of funds, Janevska said.

In connection with the announced protest of educational assistants, who have not received monetary compensation for months, he said that they regularly receive, but that she is not to blame for what happened before this government, there were inherited unpaid obligations.

– The assistants should not be disturbed at all, they will regularly receive what is due to them, underlined Janevska. She pointed out that she is really very satisfied with the way they communicate with SONK.

– I understand their views, and even the mild threats that there will be protests or possibly strikes, that is their job, just as it is our job to take care of the budget as the government of the country and do what is possible with that budget, pointed out Janevska.

At the same time, he added that they had several meetings with SONK representatives, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Economy, the advisor for social partners.

– We discussed several possibilities, how to make the teachers satisfied.

I think that we will find ourselves in the near future on a multi-year development program, I would say, where we as the government would commit to a constant increase in teachers’ salaries up to a certain amount of net gross salary, that is, what they demand in terms of the basic or the average salary.

Anyway, however we agree, the methodology will be worked out. But we still need some time to agree and see what will happen this month with the budget.

I expect that we will have some positive outcomes in the near future, said the minister. Janevska also emphasized that the National Textbook Commission has a lot of work to do.

– The new director of the Pedagogical Service informed me that they have nine hundred backlog items, these are author teams, reviews and so on.

The Bureau of Educational Development is already working on the new seventh and eighth grade curricula. They were at a public hearing, now they are analyzing the comments.

We have agreed to have a meeting during the next week, we do not interfere in the expertise, but to exchange information and continue with the reforms of the curricula and programs, to implement one-shift and, if possible, full-day teaching as possible in higher classes , we make analyzes and plans for the extension of classrooms, construction of schools, emphasized Janevska.

She expressed hope that municipalities will use the call for capital investments to invest in educational infrastructure.

– The two hundred and fifty billion that will go to the municipalities for the extension of schools and the improvement of the infrastructure for education, we will also build sports halls, so we expect big changes.

But, of course, day by day, month by month, in order to reach the goal, underlined Janevska.