Protests against the bill, which envisions replacing printed books with digital books, will start in Skopje on Saturday by the students’ parents, who are part of a Facebook group of more than 70,000 members.
“There should be books and lessons”, was the motto of a rally held on Tuesday in front of the Ministry of Education and Science, which did not accept the parents’ request to withdraw the proposal.
Protests have been warned that they will be held in many cities, while parents are also warning of an initiative for a referendum against the law to replace printed texts with electronic books.
“We tried to find solutions for changes in the law, in order to have reforms tailored to the students, but the authorities were deaf to our demands. They want to impose reforms through demagoguery that are not in the interest of our children. We are taking another initiative to stop this law with protests and then another initiative for a referendum against the proposed law “, stated Dragana Spasevska from the initiative against the adoption of the Law on Textbooks.
This law, parents are considering harmful to children, because according to them, the printed book can not be replaced by any other form of learning. They said that at a time when children spend all day in front of electronic devices for online learning, it would be illogical for them to attend lessons from e-books as well, as this would have serious consequences on their health.
“We do not dare and will not allow our children to be the object of experiments. This law will have consequences on the psycho-physical, sociological and emotional development of our children. Children are our world. Our children are our future. We will decide what world and what future they will offer. We bear the responsibility for our children, for our grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The decisions we make are in the interest only of our children and no one else “, declared Dragana Spasevska from the Parents’ Council, announcing that there will be no boycott of teaching, as students need to use the remaining period for assessment in the respective subjects.
The League of Albanian Teachers (LASH) has also stated against the proposed changes, which has also expressed its dissatisfaction, as it says, the ignorance made by the Ministry of Education by not inviting it to any debate regarding the proposed reform, which according to LAS -it, as such, does not apply anywhere in the world.
“Nowhere in the world is it learned from digital books, nowhere, not even in the most developed countries. I wanted the TV debate to address these problems and not to say that we talked to the associations. With which associations? Who are those associations? I am not invited anywhere. I do not know who she consults with “, stated Samet Jahiu from the Albanian Teachers Association.
The Ministry of Education of Northern Macedonia has rejected the reactions and criticism, emphasizing the reforms needed to improve the quality of education.
“The plan for changes related to teaching in primary schools, namely the development of a new concept for primary education, and the new Law on textbooks and didactics, are provided by the work program of the government in the previous and current term, as well as the strategy for education 2018-2025, and is based on the results of specific analyzes of the quality of the national education system made by credible international institutions “, say the Ministry of Education and Science, which says that the need for reforms is based on the poor achievements of students in international tests as well as in the ongoing demands for deep reforms.
The draft law is in parliamentary procedure, while opposition parties have also stated against it, which have announced amendments to oppose its adoption. / REL
