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The Republic of Macedonia is located in south-east Europe, in the central part of the Balkan Peninsula. Geographically, Macedonia is a central Balkan state bordering four countries (Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria and Albania), with an important geo-strategic position because it is the crossroad of strategic routes connecting Western and Central Europe.
The area of the country is 25,713 square kilometres. The total population in 2010 was 2,057284. According to the census in 2002, 64.18 per cent of the population were ethnic Macedonians, 25, 17 per cent were ethnic Albanians and 10, 65 per cent other (Serbs, Turks, Roma, Bosnians). The new census is planned for October 2011. There are 84 municipalities in Macedonia and 58 per cent of the population is concentrated in urban areas: Skopje (the capital of Macedonia), where 25 per cent of total population lives, and other major cities, such as Kumanovo, Bitola, Tetovo, Prilep, Stip, Ohrid and Strumica.
The country is a member of the UN and the Council of Europe and an associate member of La Francophone, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Since December 2005, the Republic of Macedonia is also a candidate for joining the European Union and has applied for NATO membership.
Today, the Republic of Macedonia is considered a country with an intermediary-developed industry, with modest growth of industrial production. It has an open economy that is integrating into international trade. The most important sectors are agriculture and industry. The service sector also grew in the past few years. GDP per capita in 2010 was USD 4,425 and has grown by 5.1% in the first quarter of 2011.The rate of unemployment is high: 31.2 per cent in 2011.The country's economic policy is to attract foreign investments and to increase employment rates. One of the biggest features of the economy is the fiscal discipline which maintained a stable currency for a long period.
The Republic of Macedonia is a parliamentary democracy. The President is elected by nation-wide elections, as well as the Parliament. Executive power is held by the national government. The principal goals of the Government’s mandate for the next three years are improving the living standards, improving employment, fighting corruption, continued development of democracy, and integration into the EU and NATO. Investment in education is one of the top five strategic priorities in the Programme of the Government for year 2011.
The need for reforms in education has been acknowledged and steps have been taken in order to bring the Macedonian education system in-line with the postulates of the Bologna process and the EU provisions. Parents and the public expect high-quality knowledge, which often results in less emphasis on skills. Prestigious schools, mostly academically-orientated grammar schools (Gymnasiums), are held in high acclaim. Secondary education is now compulsory and the Government is encouraging young people to continue their education at colleges and universities. There are significant differences in the results of students from academic and vocational schools. Vocational schools are considered as having lower status among parents and society. The Ministry of education is working on reforms on vocational education so that the vocational education can respond to the needs of the labour market.
(Figures for population, unemployment and GDP were obtained from the National Office of Statistics.)
The first recorded organized and mass mode of tuition at higher level on the present territory of the Republic of Macedonia dates back to the early 10th Century, when the first university-like schooling was established in Ohrid by St Kliment of Ohrid, one of the disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius, the brothers who created the Slavic alphabet in the 9th Century.
Education is held in high esteem by parents and the general public, and despite the low economic standard of living, always prioritized when planning family budget.
Currently, the structure of the Macedonian education system is as follows:
- Pre-school education ( nursery schools): not compulsory
- Primary education (nine years): age 6 to 14, compulsory
- Secondary education (three / four years): age 15 to 18 /19 ,compulsory
- Higher education
Compulsory education applies to children from six years of age. It is spread over nine grades and is provided at elementary schools. There is a recognised division between the primary and secondary school levels: the primary level is usually taught by a single generalist teacher, while at the secondary stage, subjects are taught by teachers specialising in subjects.
The school year at elementary and secondary schools runs from the beginning of September until the end of June. The winter break is in January and the summer break is July/August.
With the decentralisation in education, primary and secondary schools are the responsibility of municipalities. Costs for the state primary and secondary schools are covered by the government.
At the beginning of the 2010 / 11 school year, there were 990 primary schools and 204, 439 students enrolled.
There are two types of secondary schools: Secondary Grammar Schools (Gymnasiums), and Secondary Vocational Schools (with a three- or four-year curriculum).
At the beginning of the 2010/11 school year, 111 secondary schools (from which 11 were private schools) provided education for 94,155 enrolled students of which 59, 6% enrolled in vocational schools and 40.4% in grammar schools.
At the end of the secondary students take Drzavna Matura (Secondary School Leaving Matura Exam). The Matura exams consist of three parts: compulsory (one subject); optional (three subjects) and project assignment in one subject or education area. Admission to HIM in Macedonia is on the basis of the Secondary School Leaving Matura exam.
According to the Higher Education Law, tertiary educational institutions are: universities, faculties and colleges.
The Republic of Macedonia became a member of the Bologna Process in 2003, having started with the changes in the higher education system much earlier in 2000 when the Ministry of Education and Science passed the new Law on Higher Education. The Law requires universities to start introducing the ECTS and designing study and subject programs according to the principles of the Bologna Process.
The existing academic degree granted with a diploma was transformed into a baccalaureus and the programmes were shortened from 4 years to around 3. The taught postgraduate degree granted is transformed into a master's degree, achieved after 5 years of study. Medicine and medicine related studies still last 6 or 5 years. The degree of doctorate (PhD,) remains but it can be received after 3 more years, i.e. 8 years in total: 3 years (Bachelor or Baccalaureus) + 2 years (Master) + 3 years (doctor of science or doktor na nauki).
Institutions of higher education are legal entities. A faculty cannot be an autonomous legal entity, but is part of an institution of higher education. State higher education institutions are state-subsidised (four, in Skopje, Bitola , Tetovo and Stip), and there are a number of private universities.
The number of enrolled undergraduate students at the universities at the beginning of the winter semester in the 2009 / 2010 academic year reached 57,894 students of which 78,7% in state universities, and 21.0% in private universities. The participation of female students in the total number of enrolled students was 52.5 per cent.
In 2008/09 1363 students enrolled for postgraduate studies (masters degrees) and 229 for PhD degrees. In 2010, 691 students completed their masters studies and 157 students completed their doctorial thesis.
(Figures for population, unemployment and education data were obtained from the State statistical office of Republic of Macedonia.)
The current government put education among the five strategic priorities. The national education reform strategy of the Ministry of Education is focusing on raising the education standards in all aspects of education, increasing international co-operation and mobility for teaching staff and students, completion of the introduction of the ECT, establishing the National Framework of qualifications and working on reforms in vocational education. The UK is well-placed to be a partner of choice in many areas, such as the Quality Assurance in Higher Education, State Education inspectorate, ICT in schools and education management (school and university), English language teaching and learning. English is taught in schools from the grade 1 and is the main foreign language in both private and secondary schools.
The British Council co-operates with the Ministry of Education and the Bureau for the Development of Education in the areas of teacher training (developing teaching / assessing the capacity for written English), quality assurance (HE), teaching English to young learners and improvement of vocational education. Establishing social partnership and establishing policy dialogue between education and employers is an area to be developed in the coming years. The British Council in Macedonia was involved in pioneering the first protocol for social partnership in Macedonia.
The proportion of HE students studying abroad increases every year, but there are no qualitative data on this. The UK's market competitors are the USA, Bulgaria and Greece. The UK has been seen as a desirable destination for both undergraduate and postgraduate studies, but the most expensive at the same time. Growth markets by subject area are economics, IT, law and languages.
The market is concentrated in the capital; most higher education institutions are concentrated in the capital, as 25 per cent of the population lives there. There is an increasing demand for overseas qualifications, seen as enabling greater mobility, but the cost of an overseas qualification is unattainable for most Macedonian students.
Macedonian students are still not fully aware of the potential of UK distance learning opportunities and various models of education delivery. Hence, recognition of overseas qualifications by distance learning may be seen as an issue. More young people are seeing English and internationally recognised qualifications as a gateway to a successful career.
Competition for textbooks is high and home and foreign publishing companies are well established in the market. From the investor's point of view, it is an underdeveloped market, comparable with European countries.
The British Council is based in Skopje, the capital. We work in the following professional areas: English and examinations; arts, education and society.
The British Council has administered examinations in English as a Foreign Language for Cambridge English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) in the Republic of Macedonia since 1993 and as an independent centre since 2000. The British Council also administers the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), as well as examinations for a range of international professional bodies, universities and colleges. These include the ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants), the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute, the Open University, the University of London, the BBC, and others.
The British Council annually administers around 3-5 Chevening awards on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Our key partners and clients are the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, for the implementation of Chevening programme and support of international strategic priorities through delivery of joint public diplomacy initiatives.
We work closely with a range of country partners to achieve our outcomes, such as the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, Bureau for the Development of Education, National and University Library St. Clement of Ohrid, the Government Secretariat for EU Affairs, state and private Universities, the English Language Teachers’ Associations, the Macedonian Association of Quality Language Services and a range of NGO’s in the areas of arts, education and society.
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