Higher Education Bill Removed from North Macedonia Parliament’s Agenda

The three items concerning the Law on Higher Education were removed from the agenda of the Parliament of North Macedonia today after the parliamentary majority and the opposition failed to reach an agreement.

Representatives of the Albanian opposition said that notice of the session had been sent after the scheduled time for the meeting had already passed.

MPs Rina Ajdari, Halil Snopçe and Elmi Aziri protested this violation, with Aziri describing the move as a “clandestine tendency.”

The government and the opposition have failed to find a solution regarding the law.

On April 22, the Government of North Macedonia approved the final version of a package of three laws on higher education. It includes the Law on Higher Education, the Law on Quality in Higher Education and the Law on Scientific Research. The legislation was submitted to Parliament in early July.

The higher education bill, drafted to replace the current legislation, was presented by Janevska on February 6 of this year. The changes announced so far have prompted opposition from both the academic community and opposition parties, some of which have called for the new law to be withdrawn. Criticism of the proposed legislation has come particularly from the Social Democratic Union, which believes it contains elements that could harm the country’s higher education system.