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1. Main trends in young people's participation in education and training

2. Organisation of the education and training system

3. Main concepts

Main trends in young people's participation in education and training

The Republic of North Macedonia is a country with a high level of young people who are NEET (not in education, employment or training). According to the Labor Force Survey (LFS), in 2021 there were approximately 94,000 young people in North Macedonia, aged 15-29 who are not in employment and not in education or training (NEETs), which corresponds to approximately one quarter (24.2 percent) of the total youth population. This share records a downward trend compared to 2016, when young NEET persons participated with 31.3 percent of the young population (approximately 136,000 young people). This decline is partly due to the gradual reduction of the young population (15-29) but also to the reduction that was recorded in 2019 when the Youth Guarantee was piloted (the share of young NEETs decreased from 29.7 percent in 2018 to 24.5 percent in 2019).

According to the Research on Youth Trends in Macedonia from 2022 (Младински трендови во Република Македонија) conducted for the needs of the Agency of Youth and Sport, the key findings of the young people’s attitude towards education and educational system are:

• The average rating that young people give to formal education in our country is 3.5. The majority of young individuals give an average rating of 3 for the support they receive from professors and staff in their educational institution. For half of the respondents, the day spent in the educational institution is easy and enjoyable.

• In response to the question about their attitude towards education in the country, 68.4% expressed a negative stance, while 19.6% had a positive view. 12% did not express a clear opinion.

In 2020 the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of North Macedonia presented а Concept for developing a distance education system in primary and secondary schools in the Republic of North Macedonia (Концепт за развивање на далечинско образование во основните и средните училишта) and as part of the concept the Ministry of Education and Science set aside few key challenges:

• Lack of strategic and normative documents on which distance learning can be based and which will provide a standardized approach in its implementation

• Insufficient theoretical and practical pedagogical knowledge for distance learning of all involved in the educational process (teachers, professional associates, principals, advisors, inspectors)

• Insufficient digital competition with most stakeholders in the distance education process (students, teachers, parents, associates, principals, counselors, inspectors)

• Poor ICT equipment (lack or inadequate digital devices, insufficient or no internet access) of schools, teachers and students' families.

Organisation of the education and training system

The education system of the Republic of North Macedonia consists of preschool, elementary education (6-14 years), secondary education (15-17/18 years) and higher education.

With the amendments of the Law on Secondary Education (Закон за средното образование), from 2008, for the first time in the Macedonian society the secondary education becomes compulsory for every citizen. That amendment also means an extension of the age the compulsory education ends, from 14 years of age previously, to 18 years of age with the amendment. That provision is relevant for general secondary education, while for vocational education and training (VET) it is 16, 17 or 18 years of age.

The main organization of formal education for the youth covers the following stages:

• Secondary education (ISCED 3): general secondary education (Gymnasium) and art education in duration of four years and vocational education (Vocational Schools) in duration of three (vocational education for professions) or four years (vocational technical education).

In 2020 because of the Covid-19 crisis there are added technical amendments that the teaching could be provided online through specific channels.

The Law on Vocational Education and Training (Закон за стручно образование и обука) envisages vocational training intended for working with lower requirements which provides practical knowledge and skills for different fields of work. Vocational training depending on the complexity of the occupation lasts up to two years. Vocational training can be completed by students who have finished primary education, as well as those who do not have completed primary education, but with the obligation, along with the vocational training, to complete the primary education.

The secondary education is compulsory and comprises all children in the age cohort 15 to 18 years for the general secondary education, and for the age cohort 15 to 16, 17 or 18 in the VET depending on the selected track. The tasks and activities of the secondary education are defined and regulated with the Law on Secondary Education and the Law for Vocational Education and Training. The secondary education is free of charge in the public secondary schools. There are three teaching languages, Macedonian, Albanian and Turkish. The pupils also have the legal option to enroll into the private secondary schools which are officially recognized by the Macedonian educational system.

• Higher education (ISCED 5, 6 and 7): implements under-graduate, master and doctoral studies in the higher educational institutions and institutes which are autonomous and independent. The activities are defined and regulated by the Law on the Higher Education that includes provisions on harmonizing the state’s higher education with the Bologna process and European Credit Transfer System (EKTS), as well as ensuring legal basis for expanding teaching personnel and student’s mobility. In accordance to the national policy for provision of equal access to the higher education, social cohesion and lifelong learning, the state introduced the Project 35/45, which promotes enrollment of the students from the age cohort 35 to 45 years;

Adult education is part of the education system of Republic of North Macedonia that enables education, specialization, qualification and learning of adults. A student of adult education can be any person that participates in the educational adult programs and has previously fulfilled the conditions regarding prior compulsory education and other persons that bind without a student status.  Adult education encompasses formal, non-formal and informal education. The activities of the adult education are regulated with the Law on Adult Education (Закон за образование на возрасните) and Law for Vocational Education and Training (Закон за стручно образование и обука).

Main concepts

Main concepts regarding education are described in appropriate chapters.