Skopje, 6 February 2026 (MIA) - The draft Law on Higher Education and the draft Law on Quality in Higher Education have been posted on the Unique National Electronic Registry of Regulations (ENER), while the Law on Scientific Research Activity will be published in the coming days. The public will be able to submit comments and proposals on the new legal solutions, which the Ministry of Education and Science has announced as part of reforms in higher education and science.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Minister of Education and Science Vesna Janevska said the legislative package is expected to enhance academic education and boost scientific research in the country.

She said that over 60 professors, relevant institutions and organisations, student representatives, professionals and experts took part in drafting the laws without compensation. She added that the national coordinating body for reforms in higher education and scientific research activity had successfully completed the first task for which it was set up by the government.

The new Law on Higher Education is set to replace the existing 2018 law, which, Janevska said, created more problems than it resolved. A new funding model for higher education institutions has been introduced, including a development component and an excellence component based on performance, providing funds for universities that meet higher criteria. This, Janevska added, will encourage competition that improves quality.

Priority in recruitment as academic staff at state universities will be granted to students studying on state scholarships at the world’s top 100 universities, as well as to those studying in the country, who have received the “Engineering Ring” award or have been named the best students at university.

One of the key changes, which has generated the most interest among faculty members and is already receiving feedback, is the tightening of the criteria for academic promotions.

“From now on, anyone applying for promotion to the rank of assistant professor, associate professor or full professor will be required, depending on the rank, to produce and publish six to seven research papers prior to promotion. Three to four of these papers must be published in journals with an impact factor in the Web of Science or Scopus databases. This is important because worldwide statistics show that a university most publish at least 1,200 impact-factor papers per year to be ranked among the top 1,000 in the Shanghai ranking. Currently, our universities publish only 300-500 per year, and this must be changed,” Janevska said.

Once the law is adopted, full professors will be eligible for reappointment every seven years. The law will not apply retroactively to current full professors. The academic community will be unified across the country. The new law reinstates the pre-2018 four-year term for rectors, instead of the current three-year term, and changes the procedure for electing rectors.

The law also provides for the introduction of professional studies at the first, second and third cycles with pathways to academic studies, as well as short professional programmes for acquiring specialist knowledge. To promote transparency in the operation of public universities, boards of public trust and university councils, which did not function in the past, will be activated. The National Council for Higher Education and Science will, in turn, be given additional responsibilities.

“Salaries are no longer a subject of discussion. They were increased by 14 per cent last year, and the budget for support of scientific research activity has also been raised, from Mden 380 million in 2024 to Mden 773 million this year. That is more than double,” Janevska stressed.

The Law on Quality in Higher Education foresees a reorganization and strengthening of the Agency for Quality in Higher Education, which, according to Janevska, has not been sufficiently functional during its five years of operation and has conducted only accreditation of study programmes, without evaluation. Under the proposed law, the evaluation and accreditation boards within the Agency will be abolished and replaced by a Council working with expert commissions. The Council will set the procedures for evaluation, self-evaluation, accreditation and oversight of higher education institutions and research bodies.

The third law in the package deals with scientific research activity and is closely connected with the other two. Janevska said it provides for categories of scientific institutions, funding for research projects, financing of scientific institutes and centres of excellence, and clearly defined procedures for the election to scientific ranks of researchers.

The draft laws will remain on ENER for 30 days, Janevska said. Public debates are to begin at universities after two weeks, followed by government review. Once submitted to Parliament, the relevant parliamentary committee will be able to hold a public debate before the laws are adopted.

“I expect Parliament to adopt all the laws simultaneously, after the best versions are prepared following the public debate launched by the government on Monday. Debates will also take place at all public higher education institutions, and I also hope for a constructive discussion in Parliament,” Janevska said at the press conference.

Photo: MIA