Ministry rejects SDSM claims of a witch‑hunt; says inspectorate acts within the law

The Ministry of Education and Science rejected accusations from opposition SDSM that two State Education Inspectorate officials are conducting a political campaign against school principals, calling those claims manipulative and unlawful.

Ministry: inspections follow the same structure and legal remit

SDSM had named Mirjana Naskovska and Toni Iliev as "trusted inspectors" of VMRO-DPMNE during a press appearance. The ministry responded that the organisational structure of the Inspectorate has not changed since the previous government and that inspections are routine.

"The primary legal competence of the State Education Inspectorate is to carry out regular inspections of the work of educational institutions and to act on complaints and initiatives from citizens, which are distributed depending on the institution's current available staffing capacity. Wherever irregularities are identified, appropriate measures are taken. It is incredible how this political party always stands in defense of unlawful conduct and supports noncompliance with the legal system," the Ministry said.

Regarding the Secondary General High School "Panche Arsovski" in Skopje, which SDSM cited at its press briefing, the ministry said inspectors found irregularities and that the institution proceeded in line with statutory provisions — a step SDSM describes as political retribution.

"It is obvious that their pain is that education is finally receiving the necessary attention from a Government. The free fall has been halted and the chaos created by four ministers of education during SDSM's seven-year rule has been cleaned up," the Ministry added.

SDSM had earlier alleged that the two inspectors had carried out a campaign of pressure against school directors who are not party loyalists, including attempts to force resignations or premature relinquishment of posts. The Ministry insisted inspections are allocated according to available staff and that any findings are met with appropriate actions under the law.

Photo: Arhiva