History

BACKGROUND 

The preparation of Special Education and Rehabilitation staff in the Republic of Macedonia has been carried out according to the needs for the staff to work with people with special needs in the following way:

•  Enabling the employed staff full-time studies in Special Education and Rehabilitation in the other Republics of the former Yugoslavia ;
•  Organizing special training courses for teachers who work with less severely mentally retarded pupils at regular schools;
•  Provision of scholarships for full-time studies of Special Education and Rehabilitation outside our Republic;
•  Organization of centers for part-time studies in Macedonia as branch units at the Higher Special Education and Rehabilitation School and the Faculty of Special Education and Rehabilitation in Belgrade; and
•  The present structure, namely the organization of Special Education and Rehabilitation studies, i.e. the Institute for Special Education and Rehabilitation, the structure we modestly indicate today.

Preparations for establishing a higher educational institution for training Special Education and Rehabilitation staff started at the end of 1991 by the Special Education and Rehabilitation Association of Macedonia and Societies of Disabled People. The working group was formed to prepare a Report with the proposal for founding Special Education and Rehabilitation studies at the University in Skopje . The report was soon finished and submitted to the Government of Macedonia and to the Rector's Office at Ss Cyril and Methodius University .

The report anticipated preparation of two staff profiles during the studies: a clinical Special Education teacher and a special educator. The Rector's Office, accepting the proposal, started a procedure at the Faculty of Medicine for training the first profile and to the Faculty of Philosophy for training of the second staff profile.

The Faculty of Medicine, due to its objective reasons, mainly personnel reasons, did not implement the proposal and deferred until the appropriate conditions occur. The Faculty of Philosophy accepted the proposal and the Rector's initiative and started preparations for establishing Special Education and Rehabilitation studies at that faculty.

Professional talks and discussions between the representatives of the Faculty of Philosophy (Dean's Office led by the Dean Prof. Dr. Trajan Gocevski and the representatives of the Association of Special Education Teachers of Macedonia (the working group led by Dr. Ljupcho Ajdinski), as well as with great support from the former Rector of the University Dr. Tomislav Chokrevski and the former Minister for Education Dr. Dimitar Bajaldziev, lead to the anticipated result. Namely, on October 1, 1993, Ss Cyril and Methodius University Council made a decision to start with Special Education and Rehabilitation studies at the Faculty of Philosophy. At the very beginning, the studies were a specialist department in the Institute for Pedagogy and in 1997 they developed into a Special Institute for Special Education and Rehabilitation at the Faculty of Philosophy.

The studies of four academic years are implemented according to special curricula and programs, and the students who graduate acquire the title graduate Special Education teacher. This graduate Special Education teacher is trained to carry out rehabilitation education of children with impaired vision, hearing, mental retardation and physical disabilities in institutes and special schools for rehabilitation. The post of graduatel Special Education teacher is included as a member of professional teams at regular kindergartens, elementary and secondary schools, health and social care institutes.

During its existence, the Institute met a great number of challenging problems, but the engagement of a small and dynamic team successfully solved them. The activities were focused on:

•  Preparation and making curricula and programs;
•  Providing teaching staff to implement the teaching process;
•  Creating a teaching basis for exercises and practical works;
•  Organization of a great number of professional meetings on current topics with a great number of domestic and foreign professional participants with their professional and scientific works. During its existence, the Institute's professional team has participated in professional meetings in our country and abroad and has published their work in foreign magazines;
•  The Institute was the initiator for establishing and publishing the professional and scientific magazine “Special Education and Rehabilitation Theory and Practice” where the Institute's professional team members publish their work. From the first edition of this magazine in 1997, the Faculty of Philosophy is one of its sponsors;
•  Professional cooperation was established with faculties for Special Education and Rehabilitation in Belgrade , Zagreb , Ljubljana , Tuzla and Moscow . Professional exchanges and study visits were carried out with students and teachers at several university centers and special institutions abroad;
•  Professional cooperation was made with organizations for disabled people, with special institutes, schools and special classes at regular schools, with regular kindergartens, elementary and secondary schools, as well as with competent state organs in the field of health, education and social care. There was also good cooperation with media and active participation at TV, radio and in printed media.