6 May 2010, National Roma Centrum is informing that today was held press conference for the media organized by the Ministry of Education and Science, and the Manual for prevention and protection from discrimination in education process in Republic of Macedonia was officially promoted. The Manual was joint activity of the Ministry of Education and Science, National Roma Centrum, and Roma Education Fund Budapest, in the frameworks of the “Campaign for Roma education (Enrolment and continuity in the education process)” financed by Roma Education Fund.

Manual for protection of discrimination in education, Skopje, 6 May 2010

Manual for protection and prevention of discrimination in education process in Macedonia prepared by National Roma Centrum, financed by Roma Education Fund was promoted. The Manual will be useful to all participants in the education process in elimination of stereotypes and prejudices, which lead to unequal treatment of pupils based on different ethnic, religious or social origin. Focus was based on Roma children as most vulnerable category because of their social status.

The Manual will be promoted and published very soon, and education staff will be trained for its implementation. The Manual today was introduced by the Minister for education and Science, Nikola Todorov; Minister without Portfolio, Nezdet Mustafa; and Director of the Department for Development and Promotion of Education in Languages of Members of Ethnic Communities in the MoES, Redzep Ali Cupi.

The Manual has been inspired by the idea to protect all participants in the education process and is intended to inform, identify, prevent and protect from discrimination and to apply measures, which will foster make equal opportunities for all children.

It is useful tool and contribution for proper planning, realisation and control of the education process in order to prevent segregation and discrimination and to promote anti-discrimination policy – stated Todorov.

Minister Mustafa stated that the Manual will help in very sensitive materia, which is concerning in some areas. The Manual has its immensity and will serve as lesson how to act in such areas, and especially is useful for Roma community – added Mustafa.

Director of the Department for Development and Promotion of Education in Languages of Members of Ethnic Communities, Rezdep Ali Cupi, infomed that the Manual has defined what discrimination, stereotype, and prejudice, are, comprising domestic and international legislation for non discrimination, with clear illustration of some provisions.

The Manual has been prepared one year, with working groups consisted of all MoES sectors and questionnaire in order to perceive the situation in schools.

Undertaken from Macedonian Informative Agency (MIA)