Skopje, 11 March 2024 (MIA) - Representatives from the youth wings of six parliamentary parties signed Monday the Student Manifesto, which was presented by the University Student Assembly at the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje (USS-UKIM) on March 6.

In the pre-election period, the manifesto serves as a call for comprehensive policies aimed at a brighter future for students, improved higher education, and increased public awareness of student-related issues.

Representatives of the youth wings of the parties represented in the Parliament, responding to the invitation of the USS-UKIM, SDSM, VMRO-DPMNE, LDP, DOM, Levica, and Democratic Movement, signed the document, which includes three key objectives: free higher education, internationalization, and digitization.

The President of USS-UKIM, Aleksandar Nikolovski, thanked them and stated that they weren't seeking promises from them because, as he put it, “promises are a history we know how they end.” He said that the parties are expected to support this document, which represents their vision and the need for reformed higher education, and those who will come into power after the elections are expected to work towards positive changes in education.

“We called upon you because we believe that through cooperation and joint effort, regardless of who comes to power tomorrow, if we sign and commit to this together to work actively, we can make a positive change by retaining the youth here and motivating them to improve society,” Nikolovski noted.

He noted that the document is a follow-up to the initial declaration for an improved student standard, signed in 2000 in the park outside the Ministry of Education and Science by representatives of political parties at the time.

"This Student Manifesto represents a continuation of those measures, those unfortunately not fulfilled by the Government, for which we hope to actively strive to achieve, far more vigorously than other student assemblies. But there are also new measures for which we believe it is time to begin as larger processes for reforms in higher education, such as free higher education, a practice applied in most Balkan countries, internationalization - to attract foreign students who will stay here to work and contribute to our economy, and complete digitization in higher education," Nikolovski underlined. 

In addition to the three key objectives, the Manifesto advocates for prioritizing quality over quantity, as mentioned, due to the vast number of student programs, universities, and faculties, and for greater autonomy of higher education institutions in staff recruitment and financial management, Nikolovski said.

The Student Manifesto of the USS-UKIM receives support from the student assemblies of universities including St. Clement of Ohrid University in Bitola, Goce Delchev University in Shtip, Mother Teresa University in Skopje, St. Apostle Paul University in Ohrid, and South East European University in Tetovo.

Photo: MIA