Criticisms that the Law on Higher Education has too strict criteria are unjustified, and at the same time there is not a single university in the country that is in the top 2,500 best on the Shanghai list, said Macedonian Prime Minister HristijanMickoskiin an interview with the national broadcaster MRTV.
According to the PM, the attacks that the Law on Higher Education has too strict criteria are unacceptable, and at the same time, as he says, there is not a single university in the country that is in the top 2,500 best on the Shanghai list.
“… The thesis is that the criteria for the new law on higher education for selection into a title are too strict. Why were they strict? Because the law stipulates that my colleagues must write scientific papers in journals that are reputable journals that are part of the Web of Science (Thomson Reuters) database, and imagine that in order to be elected as a full-time professor, 4 of them within 5 years, and the state will compensate you for that. And this is what theyconsider to be a high criterion,” said Mickoski.
The PM is particularly disappointed with the first and oldest university “Saints Cyril and Methodius” in Skopje. And the salaries there are more than excellent, says Mickoski.
“What is the result of the current situation now? From Cyril and Methodius University, which is the most renowned of all universities in Macedonia, on the Shanghai list, and it doesn’t have to be the Shanghai list, take any other measurement, we used to be shoulder to shoulder, now we are not even among the 2,500 and that is the result of the current situation. I could agree before, to say well they are not motivated, they are demotivated, the salaries are low, approximatelyMKD 55,000, but today full-time professors are paid MKD 110,000 or MKD 120,000. So some EUR 2,000 and most often the average number of classes they teach is between 4 and 8 hours a week, and the remaining days are left for consultations with students,” the PM added.
