Secondary schools from nine municipalities from across the country will benefit from an OSCE-supported project on school safety launched in Skopje on Tuesday.

The project, initiated and supported by the OSCE will be implemented in secondary schools together with the Interior and Education Ministries, local authorities in Skopje, Tetovo, Ohrid, Struga, Gostivar, Kicevo, Bitola and Makedonski Brod.

It aims to bring together teachers, students, parents, police, social services and other concerned community members to jointly address the issue of school safety by ensuring the active involvement of students and creating a sense of shared responsibility.

"School violence can represent a real threat to safety for both teachers and students, and can undermine a safe and productive learning environment,” said the Head of the OSCE Mission to Skopje, Ambassador Ralph Breth.

“The objective of this project is to support the national and local authorities as well as local communities in creating a sustainable prevention School Safety Model which would address violent incidents and behaviour as well as inter-ethnic intolerance, among young people in secondary schools.”

Interior Minister Gordana Jankuloska said: “Having a safe learning environment is a vital prerequisite for our children reaching their full potential in life. The co-operation between the Interior Ministry, the Education Ministry, the OSCE Mission to Skopje and local self-government units will contribute significantly to improving safety in our schools by bringing together all local stakeholders in an inclusive and comprehensive manner.”

The project is part of the Mission’s activities dedicated to promoting best practices in confidence building and conflict prevention.