Skopje, 3 October 2024 (MIA) –  The Ministry of Education and Science has received six reports of peer violence since the beginning of the school year, and they are being followed up on, said Education Minister Vesna Janevska. 

She pointed out that the state has a system to support the mental health of young people through the schools, and the Ministry is also involved with its Pedagogical Service, but she stressed that interdepartmental cooperation of several ministries, non-governmental organizations and experts is also necessary.

"It is of particular importance when young people themselves are involved in the process, and it is always good to hear them out and find the most favourable solutions together in order to support their health," Janevska said.  

The Minister told Thursday's roundtable on mental health education, organized by the non-profit organization "Youth Can", that mental health is an extremely important topic that should be constantly in the focus of attention because, she added, each next generation has its own challenges, they are changing and therefore new solutions are needed.

Pedagogical services, consisting of an educator and a psychologist, in some cases also including special education teachers and a social worker, depending on the size of the school, have a direct role in supporting mental health. 

"The Bureau for Development of Education always sends recommendations for action in specific and general cases. Pedagogical services draw up an annual plan to deal with certain problems in order to help maintain children's mental health. The annual plan includes classes during which education and work with students should be carried out. If a specific case arises, a change is made to the annual plan and further work is done with the children. In case of a bigger problem, it is necessary to also involve other experts, usually it includes communication with the Ministry of Social Policy and Youth, while in rare cases it is necessary to call the police and medical help," said Janevska. 

As regards complaints from pedagogical services that they are faced with a lot of administrative and organizational responsibilities at the expense of the work they should be doing, the Minister said that those complaints have reached the Ministry of Education and Science adding that the new laws that are being drafted "will enable them to do their work". 

"We will insist on increased presence in schools in terms of their expertise and help in resolving these problems. And sometimes it's not just about problems, we also have talented children that need some help, some parents also need help for some other reasons, not only because of problematic children. So, there is a lot of work for the pedagogical services, and we are gradually establishing a system where they will start doing only their job," the Minister said.  

Outside the school process, social work services are included in mental health support, which are a great support for young people and families, noted the Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Social Policy, Demography and Youth, Gjoko Velkovski. 

This Ministry does not have statistics on young people who are victims of peer violence, so he stressed the need for interdepartmental communication - with the Education Ministry and the Ministry of Interior.

"It is true that certain statistics are missing at the Ministry. A complete system of all rights and services has been forgotten in the past, which, unfortunately, the Ministry has not implemented for years, for reasons unknown to me. We are now working on that, and soon we will have the complete picture of all recipients of the right to social protection, as well as the services provided by the centres themselves. Literally a system in which we will see what happens in a family, and we will know the whole picture of that family," said Velkovski.

"Youth Can" program coordinator Filip Ivkovski said the round table on mental health education is organized as an activity within the advocacy process to create appropriate solutions for the mental health and well-being of young people. 

"With a special focus on the school environment, i.e. transforming it into an environment that supports and encourages the well-being and development of young people, the purpose of the event is to share opinions and views from relevant stakeholders and the institutions' commitment to creating appropriate systemic solutions. As an organization, we have been raising awareness about mental health for eight years, and we think it is now time to take concrete steps in providing services, resources and funds for young people to finally start taking care of their mental health," Ivkovski pointed out. 

Photo: MIA