Foreword
The Republic of North Macedonia has made remarkable progress in expanding access to education and strengthening institutional capacity. Yet, the majority of youth leave school without mastering basic competencies for life and work, and students’ socio-economic background continues to influence learning outcomes. The education sector in North Macedonia requires strong and strategic reform to improve quality and equity, so that all young people in the country reach their full potential and realise their aspirations.
This review was undertaken by the OECD with the support of UNICEF at the request of, and in close collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of North Macedonia.
Focused on the assessment and evaluation system for schools, the review offers recommendations to help the country capitalise on the positive practices and policies that are already in place. It encourages North Macedonia to put student learning at the heart of evaluation and assessment. This will mean moving towards a system where assessment provides students, teachers, schools and policy makers with the information that enables them to reflect critically on their work and identify what they can do better in the future.
The review builds on the collaboration between the OECD Directorate for Education and Skills and UNICEF. The review has benefitted from our organisations’ complementary experience and expertise to provide an analysis that is sensitive to the context of evaluation and assessment in North Macedonia’s education system while drawing on international research and best practice from around the world.
Above all though, we hope that this review will be a useful reference for North Macedonia as it reforms its assessment and education systems. This review comes at an important moment for North Macedonia, as it considers developing a new national student assessment. This review discusses many of the policy options that the country is considering and provides guidance that can inform this decision. We hope that the review’s recommendations contribute to the development of an education system that provides excellence for all.
Andreas SCHLEICHER
Director for Education and Skills and Special Advisor on Education Policy to the Secretary-General
Benjamin PERKS
Representative UNICEF to the
Republic of North Macedonia