Increasing Responsibilities and Promote the Concept of Environmental Protection (DEM – AD Treska, Makedonski Brod and Other Stakeholders): (MK0086)

Increasing responsibilities and promote the concept of environmental protection (DEM – AD Treska, Makedonski Brod and other stakeholders):

IV. Participation: Education, Cyber Safety, and the Environment

Commitment 7.3: Inclusive Education Capacity Building for Civil Society

Commitment Text: 7.3. Inclusive elementary and secondary education for persons with disabilities. 

Commitment 7.4: Center for Safer Internet Action Plan

Commitment Text: 7.4. [Implement] the Center for Safer Internet Action Plan […] with Inhope Macedonia.

Commitment 7.7: Participation in Environmental Protection Study

Commitment Text: 7.7. Increasing responsibilities and promote the concept of environmental protection.

Responsible institution(s): Ministry of Education and Science; Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning

Supporting institution(s): Civil society: Polio Plus, DEM‚ ED Treska, Makedonski Brod and other stakeholders, Center for Safer Internet Action Plan, Inhope Macedonia

Start Date: 1/1/2014   End Date: 31/12/2016

Commitment aim

This cluster of commitments aimed to improve legislative frameworks in sector specific areas in participation with civil society. More specifically, the commitments set out to:

•       Provide a roadmap for reform of education laws, in partnership with a leading disability organisation.

•       Create a Center for Internet Safety.

•       Improve environmental legislation to increase protection and participation, as well as conduct awareness raising activities.

Status

Midterm

Commitment 7.3: Limited

Commitment 7.4: Not started

Commitment 7.7: Not started

Progress on this cluster of commitments was limited, although the current legal framework in education does not hinder inclusion.^{[Note 40: Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, Initial Report of the Republic of Macedonia to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Skopje: 2014), 25-28. Available at: http://bit.ly/1MEhhn8.]} An initial meeting between the organisation, Polio Plus, and the Ministry of Education took place on 1 April 2015. In that meeting, they pledged closer cooperation in building a new Strategy for Development of Education, among other goals. The Law on Primary Education and the Law on Secondary Education were amended four times^{[Note 41: On 4 August 2014, 10 September 2014, 22 January 2015, and 16 June 2015, published in the Official Gazette, No. 116/2014, 135/2014, 10/2015, and 98/2015. ]} during the first year of the action plan, but the government did not initiate a debate regarding inclusive education. While inclusive education is guaranteed, legal amendments are needed to ensure implementation in practice.

According to civil society representatives, the government did not make progress on creating a Center for Internet Safety (commitment 7.4), despite proactive initiatives from civil society.^{[Note 42: Violeta Gjorgjievska, Internet Hotline Provider Macedonia, written contribution to IRM.]}

As to commitment 7.7, the IRM researcher found no progress in its implementation.

For more information, please see the 2014-2016 IRM midterm report.

End of term

Commitment 7.3: Limited

Commitment 7.4: Not started

Commitment 7.7: Not started

The government’s end of term self-assessment report did not contain any information about the implementation of these commitments. Additionally, the IRM researcher could not find evidence of any further attempts by government to make progress in these three areas. This was confirmed by civil society organisations.^{[Note 43: Ibid., 3.]} The roadmap for reforms of the education laws was not adopted, and while children and youth with disabilities have started to be enrolled in regular schools, segregated schools remain predominant in the country.

Did it open government?

Access to information: Did not change

Civic participation: Did not change

This cluster of commitments supported inclusive sector specific reforms in priority areas for citizens, as evidenced by an opinion poll.^{[Note 44: The survey found that citizens are least interested in information “held” by the government and line ministries. On this question, interviewees provided equally divided answers. Half are not interested in obtaining this type of information. Two-thirds of citizens are interested in information held by the municipalities, education, and health care institutions, while a slightly higher share is interested in information about the budget and private entities performing public services. The highest share of citizens (90.3%) is interested in obtaining access to information on environmental matters. Dance Danilovska-Bajdevska (ed), Overcoming the Principle of Secrecy in the Public Administration (Skopje: OSF, 2013), 17, available at: http://bit.ly/1OlSchZ. ]} It envisaged informed decision making grounded in the findings and practices from civil society.

The IRM researcher gathered that civil society organisations prioritise changes in the legal framework, despite improvements in practice. Civil administration in Macedonia still requires guidance in legislation, rather than shared experiences, to transfer knowledge and improve practices.^{[Note 45: Judit Holevenger and Andrea Martnuzzi, Assessment of the Capacity for Services in Health, Education and Social Protection for the Inclusion of Children with Disabilities (Skopje: UNICEF, 2015), 22-46, available at: http://uni.cf/1HzQIOH. ]} While a strategy for inclusive education exists, its implementation is limited because inclusion is sidelined. There is a need for a change in attitudes within the system and society about how to approach inclusion.^{[Note 46: Conclusions, Annual workshop of association of special educators. ]} The lack of information on these commitments in the government’s self-assessment suggests it may not be committed to full implementation within the framework of OGP.

Carried forward?

The new national action plan does not contain commitments that follow up on this cluster. Like the first action plan, commitments based on initiatives from civil society have a greater likelihood of ‘dropout’ from OGP, owing to the lack of progress.