THE QUEST FOR ALBANIAN-LANGUAGE UNIVERSITY IN NORTH MACEDONIA DURING THE EARLY 1990S

KAMBERI, Drenusha and KAMBERI, Gojart and KAMBERI, Bajram (2025) THE QUEST FOR ALBANIAN-LANGUAGE UNIVERSITY IN NORTH MACEDONIA DURING THE EARLY 1990S. PHILOSOPHICA International Journal of Social and Human Sciences, 12 (24-25). pp. 33-42. ISSN 2671-3020

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Abstract

In North Macedonia as multiethnic society the right for education in mother tongue it was closely linked with the minority education rights, especially in the first decade after the declaration of the state’s independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Legal framework that existed in that period displayed inconsistency between the country’s Constitution and the Law on Education. The question for an Albanian-language University became an issue of confrontation between the Government and the Albanians. Therefore, the Government perceiving it as unconstitutional and illegal while the Albanians referring to it as fundamental human right. Escalation of the situation in 1995 damaged also interethnic relations. Fostering mutual cooperation within complex political, economic and societal landscape required strong political readiness for compromises towards sustainable solution. Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Convention against Discrimination in Education offered the framework for comprehensive understanding for promotion and protection of the right for educatifon, especially for North Macedonia where foreign policy priority had been strengthening international recognition through the conclusion of multilateral treaties and membership in international organizations. Considering that UN and OSCE were actively engaged in most of the crucial processes of that time, in the country, the purpose of this paper it was studying the UN and OSCE attitude regarding the question for an Albanian-Language University in North Macedonia, for the period from 1993 to 1995. Through content analysis of the respective documents the following research questions are answered: How UN Special Rapporteur assessed North Macedonia’s progress on minorities educational rights?; and Under what conditions OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities came out with the recommendation for the establishment of a private university in North Macedonia proposing Albanian among the main languages of instruction?

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	educational policy, quota system, tertiary education, minority education rights, Albanian
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > B Philosophy (General)
Divisions:	Faculty of Law, Arts and Social Sciences > School of Social Sciences
Depositing User:	Unnamed user with email zshi@unite.edu.mk
Date Deposited:	18 Jul 2025 09:00
Last Modified:	18 Jul 2025 09:00
URI:	http://eprints.unite.edu.mk/id/eprint/2006

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