On 16 January in Skopje, the Education Department organised a round table “Quality Education for All”, in cooperation with the Roma and Travelers Team and with the attendance of the Department for the Execution of Judgments. The event took place in response to the European Court’s judgment Elmazova and Others v. North Macedonia that found discrimination of Roma pupils due to their segregation in two State-run primary schools which were attended predominantly by Roma children and with Roma-only classes.

Experts and representatives from central and local institutions, schools, the Council of Europe, national human rights institutions, and civil society discussed concrete measures to address segregation in schools and to advance the integration of Roma children in education as well as their timeline. The topics discussed included changes to the Primary Education Act and different policy measures for overcoming and preventing the issue. The discussion also touched upon recommendations for implementing the European Court's judgment at local and school levels as well as the comprehensive training and monitoring programme, facilitated by local consultants, targeting 25 pilot schools including the two schools concerned by the judgment.

The discussions focused on maintaining inter-institutional synergies throughout the process and ensuring sustainable solutions to prevent segregation in schools in the future.

Pursuant to the Indicative work programme for 2024, the Committee of Ministers plans to examine the Elmazova and Others judgment at its Human Rights meeting in December 2024.

The event was organised in the framework of the project “Quality Education for All – North Macedonia,” implemented by the Council of Europe and funded by Germany, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of North Macedonia.