10.2 STAFF INVOLVED IN MONITORING EDUCATIONAL QUALITY FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD AND SCHOOL EDUCATION
The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs performs inspection and supervision over the implementation and application of the Law on Child Protection and regulates child protection, work of the kindergartens / centers for early childhood development established as an organizational unit in composition of legal entities, higher education institution and private school, as well as over other legal entities and individual persons that perform certain activities in the field of child care and upbringing according to the Law on Child Protection.
The inspection includes: supervision over the application and enforcement of the Law, as well as other regulations and acts adopted on the basis of this Law, supervision over the validity of the work licenses of the persons included in the system of care and upbringing of preschool children, as well as the validity of the licenses for work of the directors of the institutions for child protection, supervision over the fulfillment of the conditions that refer to the space, equipment, staff, groups, children, of the institutions for children, kindergartens / centers for early child development, in other spatial conditions, at home, services for care and maintenance of preschool children and individual persons performing certain activities of the activity, supervision of the management and management of institutions for children established by the Government and private institutions for children, supervision of records, documentation and reports on work of institutions, kindergartens / centers for early childhood development, agencies for providing services for care of preschool children, individuals who perform certain activities, except for the pedagogical records and the pedagogical documentation, monitoring of care, residence, nutrition of the children etc.
According to the Law on the State Education Inspectorate (SEI), monitoring in educational institutions is performed by state inspectors who have wide range of areas to supervise:
1) existence of conditions for performing the activity in the educational, higher education and scientific institutions, student dormitories;
2) realization of the educational process in the preschool, primary and secondary education;
3) special conditions for selection of teachers, professional associates and educators;
4) professional and pedagogical training of teachers, professional associates and educators and taking a professional exam;
5) the use of textbooks in primary and secondary schools;
6) the procedure for selection in teaching, teaching-scientific, scientific and associate titles;
7) management and administration of the educational institutions for secondary education established by the state and the private high schools;
8) the realization of the curricula and other prescribed standards and norms that regulate the educational activity;
9) realization of extracurricular activities;
10) the realization of the experimental programs in the educational institutions;
11) the implementation of the competition for enrollment of pupils and students and the competition for placement of pupils and students in the dormitories;
12) keeping the pedagogical records and documentation, as well as their issuance and use in the preschool, primary, secondary and higher education and the dormitories;
13) keeping the pedagogical records and documentation in electronic form and keeping an e-diary on a weekly basis in primary and secondary education;
14) application of the norms for the number of required teachers and associates and for the size of the group of full-time students in the higher education institutions;
15) the procedure for adoption of the study programs in higher education;
16) monitoring the educational process during the strike in preschool, primary and secondary education;
17) control of the funds acquired from own sources in the secondary education institutions established by the state;
18) application of the legislation in the higher educational and scientific institutions and
19) application of the legislation in the field of prohibition and prevention of performing unregistered activity in the educational institutions, in the higher educational institutions and in the scientific institutions.
The State Education Inspector supervises the work of educational institutions through:
- integral evaluation of the educational institutions,
- regular inspection,
- extraordinary supervision and
- control supervision.
The city of Skopje and the Local Government Units (LGU) can also have local educational inspectors with same duties and responsibilities as the State inspectors.
In addition, monitoring of the educational quality is performed by advisors employed at the Bureau for Development of Education (BDE) that also take part in the supervision of educational institutions according to Law on the Bureau for Development of Education. They perform expert inspection in the manner of planning and realization of the teaching and assessment and provision of a stimulating environment during the realization of the instruction by teachers, as well as through direct inspection of the recommendations given from the visits by advisors.
BDE also evaluates the training programs for the staff in the educational institutions in cooperation with the State Education Inspectorate and provides information on the findings from the professional development of the educational and managerial staff to schools and other institutions.
In performing the competencies referred Law, the Bureau performs the following activities:
- direct insight into the realization of the teaching from the aspect of the goals and contents of the lectures, application of the innovations, teaching methodology and the use of teaching aids and the manner of providing a stimulating environment,
- direct insight into the manner of planning the assessment by the teachers and checking the implementation of the assessment and
- immediate insight into the recommendations given by the visits from the professional associates to the realization of the teaching.
After the the conducted expert inspection, a report with the findings is prepared. The report is attached to the professional file of the teachers and the professional associates and is taken into account when evaluating the teachers and the professional associates in the integral evaluation conducted by the State Education Inspectorate.
1 Requirements for appointment
The inspection for early childhood care is performed by inspectors from the inspection service of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs with the acquired license for inspector. An inspector may be a person who meets the special requirements in accordance with the Law on Administrative Servants and the Law on Inspection Supervision. The Minister appoints and authorizes inspectors in accordance with this the Law on Child Protection and Law on Inspection Supervision.
A state education inspector can be a person who meets the general requirements set by the Law on Civil Servants, has higher education, meets the requirements for a teacher and has at least five years of work experience in educational institutions verified by the Ministry of Education and Science.
In compliance with the Law on State Education Inspectorate, an inspector may be a person who:
- is an adult citizen of the Republic of Macedonia,
- has general health ability,
- has not been sentenced with a final court decision for prohibition to perform a profession, activity or duty,
- has obtained at least 240 credits according to ECTS or completed VII / 1 degree education for a teacher, which is proven by a certificate or diploma,
- has five years of work experience in educational institutions verified by the Ministry of Education and Science,
- meets the other conditions determined in the act for systematization of jobs,
- has a certificate of knowledge of computer programs for office work and
- has a license for inspector in the field of competence of the inspection service.
BDE advisors are administrative employees who, in addition to the general employment conditions determined by law, also meet the following special conditions:
- have at least five years of experience in educational work;
- have published professional, ie scientific papers that are important for the promotion of upbringing and education;
- conducted research and master the methodology of scientific research work in the field of upbringing and education;
- participated in scientific and professional gatherings on education with their works and
- use one world language
2 Conditions of service
The state education inspectors are appointed by the Minister upon a proposal by the director of the state education inspectorate in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Civil Servants.
The provisions for general service, salary and retirement for ispectors and advisors are prescribed according to the Law on Civil and Administrative servants. General conditions required for job are: to be a citizen of the Republic of North Macedonia, to be an adult, to have general health ability and not to have been sentenced with a final court decision for prohibition to perform a profession, activity or duty. Special conditions that are required are: to have appropriate education, to have the necessary work experience in the profession and other conditions determined in the act for systematization of jobs.
The civil servant is entitled to salary and salary allowances under conditions and criteria determined by Law. The salaries and allowances of the civil servants are harmonized with the funds provided in the Budget of the Republic of North Macedonia, the budget of the municipality and/or the budget of the city of Skopje.
The salary of the civil servant consists of the following components: basic component and exceptional component. The basic component of the salary consists of: basic salary; salary supplement for the title and career salary supplement. The basic salary of the civil servant is based on assessment of the appropriate level of education determined by the act for systematization of jobs, the job to which he is assigned and the work experience. The work experience of the civil servant is valued in the amount of 0.5% of the part of the basic salary which evaluates the level of education and the salary supplement for the title for each completed year of service, and up to 20%. The salary supplement for the title provides evaluation of each title depending on the type and scope of work, complexity and responsibility for performing the work. The exceptional component of the salary consists of: salary supplement for special working conditions and part-time salary supplement (overtime work).
In accordance with the Law on Education Inspectorate, state inspectors are obliged to be permanently professionally trained during their working life.
The retirement age for all employees is at the age of 64 for men and 62 for women and at least 15 years of working according to the valid Law on Pension and Disability Insurance.