Sejdi opposes Shasivari’s proposal: The bar examination must be held entirely in Albanian

Besar Sejdi, president of the student body at “Mother Teresa” University in Skopje, has spoken out against the solution proposed by the Ministry of Justice, headed by Jeton Shasivari, regarding the way the bar examination should be conducted. Under this proposal, the theoretical part could be held in Albanian, while the practical part would have to be taken in Macedonian.

According to Sejdi, Albanian students have opposed this position and will continue to demand that the entire examination, including both the theoretical and practical parts, be held in Albanian.

“After all those requests, the Ministry of Justice’s response is: theory in Albanian, while practice is in Macedonian. We, as students, have opposed this solution and will continue to oppose it. Because we are not asking for something that does not exist in the law,” Sejdi wrote in his response.

He referred to Article 9 of the Law on the Use of Languages, emphasizing that the provision provides for the use, as well as the writing, of the language spoken by at least 20% of citizens in court proceedings and other proceedings before courts, prosecutors’ offices, and institutions.

According to him, paragraph 2 of this article stipulates that all proceedings must also be conducted in that language when the participant in the proceedings speaks it, while paragraph 4 obliges institutions to provide translations of the necessary documents and materials.

“Therefore, our question is very simple: Where does the law say that the theory may be taken in Albanian, while the practical part must necessarily be taken in Macedonian? If the law says ‘all proceedings,’ then the law cannot be interpreted only in the part that suits a particular solution,” the response continues.

Sejdi asked Minister Shasivari, after months of waiting, to provide a legal basis for the proposal and identify the article that prohibits the practical part from being conducted in Albanian. “Until then, our position remains the same: The bar examination in the Albanian language, both theory and practice. Not one step backward,” he concluded.

The student president’s response came after Minister of Justice Jeton Shasivari stated today that, before the issue of the bar examination takes official form, he would meet with students and the deans of law faculties to present the legal solution to them.

Shasivari also announced that the Ministry had received requests for the examination to be offered not only in Albanian, but also in English and Turkish.