The teaching profession
in Macedonia
Natasa Angjeleska
Education and Youth Program’s coordinator
Foundation Open Society Macedonia
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)
O Pedagogical Faculty-Skopje
O Pedagogical Faculty-Bitola
O Faculty for Educational Sciences-Stip
O Faculty of Philosophy-Skopje
O Faculty of Philosophy-Tetovo.
Degree Structure
BOLOGNA REFORM
O Bachelor degree ↔ “old” undergraduate
studies
O Master degree ↔ magister programs
O Doctor degree ↔ mentored individual work
on a doctoral thesis
PRIMARY EDUCATION REFORM
Eight year ↔ Nine-year
Trends in teaching profession
O The teaching career is increasingly seen in
lifelong learning terms, with initial teacher
education providing the foundations.
O Countries 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?
O The 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.
O However, the effects on improving teaching
practice and student performance have not
been assessed yet, thus perceived as limited.