Ombudsman in North Macedonia calls for the bar exam to be held in Albanian as well

Albanian students in North Macedonia have warned that they may return to protesting if their request for the bar exam to also be organized in the Albanian language is not accepted.

Efforts to make this possible have also involved the Ombudsman in this neighboring state of Kosovo.

Faton Selami announced that he has approached the government in Skopje with an initiative to harmonize the laws regulating the administration of the bar exam, so that Albanian students can have the opportunity to take this exam in their mother tongue, Albanian.

In a statement to KosovaPress, he said he had received a response from the government saying that a working group of experts had already been established and is reviewing the legal possibilities for drafting a proposal that would resolve this issue.

Selami stressed that this is a matter of particular importance and that the institution he leads has opened a case on its own initiative to address it.

“This issue is very current; it was activated in the first days after I assumed the office of Ombudsman. For this reason, I saw it as reasonable to open a case on my own initiative to resolve this issue, so that students who have completed their studies, up to graduation and afterward, in the Albanian language, may be enabled to take not only the bar exam, but also the exams for notaries and enforcement agents, in their mother tongue,” Selami said.

He added that he expects the working group of experts engaged by the Macedonian government to come forward with concrete proposals in the coming days.

“We have also approached the government with an initiative to harmonize these laws that explicitly regulate the conduct of these specific exams, and we have requested that the exam be made available in the mother tongue. The latest response from the government is that a working group of experts has been formed, and they are reviewing all legal possibilities and working on the preparation of a proposal regarding the resolution of this issue. There are indications that in the coming days there will also be some concrete proposal from this informal group of experts, and we as an institution are awaiting the official proposal from the government,” Selami said.

On this issue, Albanian students have protested twice. They are demanding that they not be discriminated against during the professional examination process, arguing that they completed their studies in the Albanian language and that they have the right for the bar exam to also be held in Albanian for them.

According to Selami, the use of the Albanian language in North Macedonia has consistently been a problematic issue, and he considers such debates frequent in a multilingual state like this one.

He also announced that he is dealing with another issue related to the new street names in Tetovo, where the previous names in the Albanian language have been removed. According to him, the case has also been sent to the Constitutional Court, although this issue falls within the powers of local government.

“The issue of the Albanian language has continuously been problematic in Macedonia. We are a multilingual state and this is an issue that has always been current. As for the issue of changing street names, under the law this falls under the competence of the municipalities, which must prepare proposals in accordance with the law, obtain approval from the government, have them voted on by the municipal council, and implement them in practice. There have also been initiatives submitted to the Constitutional Court, but this, as a competence, belongs to local government,” he added.

The change of street names in Tetovo has caused tensions not only in this municipality, but also in others with an Albanian majority in North Macedonia.