The teaching profession in Macedonia

Natasa AngjeleskaEducation and Youth Program’s coordinator

Foundation Open Society Macedonia

In Macedonia in the school year 2011/2012 the number of teachers

in primary education was 17444

O The number of students at all State and private Universities and Higher education institutions is 58747, and 18152 are enrolled in the first year of study!!!

O Just for illustration: among them 2344 students study at Pedagogical Faculties, and 392 are freshmen/freshwomen!

The number of teachers in secondary schools was

7379Or total number of teachers: 24823

according to the Statistical Office’s annual report for

2012.

Development of Teacher Education in Macedonia:

Secondary schools for teachers↓

Advanced school for teachers (two-year postsecondary

colleges)↓

Pedagogical Academies↓

Teacher Faculties/Pedagogical Faculties

Who teaches what?O Bachelor professional qualification is required for all teachers who

teach in the first five grades of the nine year primary school. There are three different profiles that can teach in the first five grades in primary school: class teacher, pedagogue and preschool teacher. The latest can teach only in first grade, while the other two profiles give opportunity to work in all five grades.

O The introduction of the subject teachers for the realization of the Music education, Art education, and Technical education (in V grade) if the school has conditions for this and if the overall fund of classes of the elementary teacher is not smaller than 17 classes;

O from VI – IX grade of primary education, the education is realized by subject teachers from middle school who have appropriate education (Bachelor education in content /subject with pedagogical qualification.

O Secondary school teachers must hold University diploma for the subject they teach and appropriate pedagogical and methodological qualification.

Although teacher graduates hold a University diploma, they actually hold differentiated pool of competences acquired at different Teacher Training Faculties (TTF) in Macedonia.

Having in mind that just recently, in 2011, The Decree on the National Framework for Higher Education Qualifications was adopted, all TTF will go through the process of harmonizing their study programs for teacher qualifications, and every comparison made at this point on the actual qualifications of their graduates will be a forced one.

Teacher Education Faculties(for class teachers)

OPedagogical Faculty-SkopjeOPedagogical Faculty-BitolaOFaculty for Educational Sciences-

StipOFaculty of Philosophy-Skopje OFaculty of Philosophy-Tetovo.

Degree StructureBOLOGNA REFORMO Bachelor degree ↔ “old”

undergraduate studiesO Master degree ↔ magister programsO Doctor degree ↔ mentored

individual work on a doctoral thesis

PRIMARY EDUCATION REFORM Eight year ↔ Nine-year

Trends in teaching profession

OThe teaching career is increasingly seen in lifelong learning terms, with initial teacher education providing the foundations.

OCountries are seeking ways to provide better support for beginning teachers, and opportunities and incentives for ongoing professional development throughout the career. Most professions emphasize the need for pre-service education to provide a solid platform for ongoing learning and career development.Natasa Angjeleska, Teacher training and quality support in the induction

period of a trainee teacher

Trends in teaching profession

O Highly effective teaching entails not only the application of research-based methods, but also leadership, content knowledge, life-experience, organization, commitment, wisdom, enthusiasm, and applied knowledge.

O Teachers’ roles are changing, and they need new skills to meet the needs of more diverse student populations, and to work effectively with new types of staff in schools and other organizations. The demands on schools and teachers are becoming more complex.

O To deal effectively with different languages and student backgrounds, to be sensitive to culture and gender issues, to promote tolerance and social cohesion, to respond effectively to disadvantaged students and students with learning or behavioral problems, to use new technologies, and to keep pace with rapidly developing fields of knowledge and approaches to student assessment.

Natasa Angjeleska, Teacher training and quality support in the induction period of a trainee teacher

Trends in teaching profession

O It is very apparent that the conditions of service experienced by teachers – their salaries, workload, job security as well as the types of support available to teachers – play a crucial role in determining whether or not an educational system experiences teacher shortages or oversupply.

O In a context of reduced job security, a stable level of quality teacher supply cannot be taken for granted. Policy measures are necessary to ensure that sufficient numbers of candidates are motivated not only to enter teacher training but also to take up jobs as teachers and to stay in the profession with proper support offered to them. Natasa Angjeleska, Teacher training and quality support in the induction

period of a trainee teacher

Response to challenges?O In Macedonia the reform of teacher training

has never been a priority on the education policy agenda.

O Besides the efforts for curricula reform in line with the Bologna principles undertaken with foreign aid and the TEMPUS programme, the general observation is that the quality of pre-service teacher training education is low and not adapted to the new competence requirements.

O Insufficient and inadequate practice at the university produce lower quality of (future) teachers, perpetuating low quality of teaching instruction in the formal school education system.

Response to challenges?OThe general policy framework for

teacher training and professional development is threatened by the lack of state funds causing serious impediments to consistent policy implementation by the schools, coupled by huge disparities in the implementation of education decentralization.

OHowever, the effects on improving teaching practice and student performance have not been assessed yet, thus perceived as limited.