New Approaches for Applying the Student Participation and Children’s Rights in Primary and Secondary Schools in Macedonia

This week in Ohrid, Coalition of youth organizations SEGA in partnership with Bureau for Development of Education and in cooperation with Ministry of Education and Science

of the republic of Macedonia, organizes four workshops intended for teachers, school management from primary and secondary schools as well as local advisers from The Bureau for Development of Education for an implementation of resource package for student participation and children’s rights protection.

This document is prepared within the project "Implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child", implemented by Coalition of youth organizations SEGA in the period from 2011 - 2019, supported by the Children's Foundation Pestalozzi, and in cooperation with the Bureau for Development of Education and the Ministry of Education and science. In the past period SEGA piloted models for student participation and protection of children's rights in pilot elementary and secondary schools in Republic of Macedonia. The document is a combination of procedures and resources for capacity building and effective implementation of children's rights in the educational system piloted by Coalition SEGA in the past period.

It is important that new student participation procedures apply to all schools t in order to ensure that democratic values are integrated in the educational process. From the 7 year piloting of the model for participation, it has been confirmed that students and schools have the capacity to apply the rights of children in schools. With the new amendments to the Law on Secondary Education, students will have the right to participate in the decision making process at all levels, "said Zoran Ilieski, Executive Director of the Coalition SEGA.

The resource package for student participation and children’s rights protection is intended to all schools, departmental/class communities, student organizations, class principals in primary and secondary schools, as well as professional services that have to be the main carriers, supporters and promotors of the democratic participation of students in the school. The resource package provides suggestions for workshop modules and trainings for working with teachers and students in the recognition of the genuine student participation in the democratic life within the school, introducing forms and methods to encourage and revive it in schools