Based on the new concept for primary education, the Department of History of the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Tetova, in principle expresses full agreement with the necessity of adopting the new curriculum for the history subject in primary and secondary schools. However, by following the activities around the development of the program and analyzing the newly published curricula for the history and society subjects for grades V, VI, and VII in primary education, we have identified several serious observations, which, according to our assessment, are contestable, as:
In this working group for the development of the history curriculum, Albanian historians were not included, while in the preliminary commission, there were 4 Albanian members out of 11 commission members.
As a result of the exclusion of Albanian historians, non-scientific content has been identified, such as:
- “The Illyrians and the Dardanians” (Grade VI curriculum) is not scientifically accurate, as the Dardanians are one of the Illyrian tribes. Such content is not only unscientific but also an attempt to separate the Dardanians from the Illyrian ethnic group.
“Albania in the Early Middle Ages” (Grade VII curriculum);
“Albania in the developed Middle Ages” (Grade VII curriculum); and
“The uprising of Skanderbeg” (Grade VII curriculum).
The titles of the content are not scientific, because in the Early, Middle, and developed Middle Ages, the notion of “Albania” did not exist, as at that time, Albanians were referred to as “Arbër” and logically, the land where they lived was called “Arbëri”.
-The content, specifically the structure of the content, as well as the standards and examples of activities as part of the programs, do not adequately reflect the history of the Albanian people. This approach is at times fragmented, superficial, and does not follow the chronological didactic principle, resulting in chronological confusion and an inadequate weighting of historical events and processes in the history of the Albanian people.
-In terms of representation and comparison with the number of contents related to the history of the Balkan peoples, significant distortions are observed to the disadvantage of the history of the Albanian people. Based on the numerical representation of the old programs, the 6th grade had 4 units, while in the new programs, the 6th grade has 1 or 2 units, and the 7th grade, which previously had 10 units, now has 3 or 4 units. This shift is noticeably reflected in the reduction or halving of the content that covers the history of the Albanian people. However, it is correct that the content of the programs should follow the principle of students’ abilities and age, yet this principle must be applied proportionally and adequately in relation to the representation of the history of the peoples living in North Macedonia. Therefore, we conclude that this format of the curriculum shows significant shortcomings in reflecting the multi-ethnic composition of our state. Consequently, we are convinced that all of this will result in the impoverishment of both historical and contemporary interculturalism in our society.
Based on the arguments above and considering the sensitivity of this issue, we appeal and at the same time hope that there is still enough time for the Ministry of Education of North Macedonia, before approving the textbooks (which, according to our information, are in the process of approval), to implement adequate mechanisms to undertake activities in the direction of addressing our comments and suggestions, in order to have curricula that ensure inclusive acceptance for all students in North Macedonia, as an approach stemming from the national standards outlined in the preamble of each program.
We hope that our response, as professionals in the field of history, will be understood correctly, for the benefit of the successful implementation of the history curriculum for primary and secondary schools.
With respect,
Professors of the Department of History of the Faculty of Philosophy – University of Tetova.
Prof. Dr. Hiriete Ziberi______________________________________________
Prof. Dr. Zeqirja Rexhepi____________________________________________
Prof. Dr. Fehari Ramadani___________________________________________
Prof. Dr. Qerim Dalipi_________________________________________________
Prof. Dr. Zeqirja Idrizi________________________________________________
Prof. Dr. Isak Sherifi___________________________________________________
June 02, 2025, Tetovo
