The Albanians in Macedonia are an autochthonous population as well as a majority population in their ethnic regions. During Former Yugoslavia, the majority of the Albanians used to get their high and university level education in the capitals of the former Yugoslav republics, and in the latest two decades in the University of Prishtina, whereas in the two Macedonian universities in Skopje and in Bitola, the percentage of the Albanian students has never surpassed 1 or 2 percent, because of many unexplicable reasons.After the proclamation of Macedonia as an independent country and the setting of political borders among former Yugoslav republics, the Albanians youth from Macedonia, because of many political, economical and many other reasons have not been able to continue their university level education. These new political circumstances have made it urgent the foundation of the Tetova University in Albanian in Macedonia, to try to complement the extraordinary urgent need for new Albanians teachers for all possible levels of education in Albanians, to supply all the necessary kinds of experts of various sciences, to study and proclaim the Albanian culture and tradition.
By the year 2000, i.e. the end of this century, there will be need for at least about 4000 new Albanians teachers for the primary and secondary schools, which can't be manufactured that fast.
The High School*, which Macedonian policy has closed and reopened according to periodical interests, has never satisfied the necessities of the Albanian education. It has been just a political and artificial school. Since a decade ago, the instruction in this High School has been in Macedonian, but the Methodics of the Albanian. The number of students in this Teacher's College has never surpassed 50-60.
The Macedonian Government has continually deceived the Albanians that their university level education will be solved, but it has never been committed to do this. This need of the Albanians could be suplemen- ted only by the foundation, in fact legalization of the Tetova University. The interest of the Albanians for the University education is ilustrated by the very great interest for the Tetova University, where there applied over 2000 students in the course of last and this year.
As a result of that, the Albanians have no other choice than to go seeking the legalization of this University, no matter what the attitude of the Government of Macedonia will be. The sooner this reality is understood, the better for all citizens of Macedonia.
As a result of these reasons, the Albanian intellectuals of university level in Macedonia, on June 4th 1994, initiated the foundation of teh Tetova University. There are over 200 doctors and magisters of sciences and a number of over 1000 secondary school pupils who graduate every year, with an increasing tendency. Yet, the Government won't support this University for a period of time, although Albanians have been paying all kinds of contribution to it, including those for high and university level education.
The Tetova University with instruction in Albanian is a new one. It was founded by the people itself in December 17th 1994. The Act of its foundation was signed by all Albanian political parties and associations and by 3 municipalities mainly inhabited by Albanians, i.e. in Tetova, Gostivar and Dibra. This fact itself gives the tetova University its legality.
But against this will of the Albanians to get educated, the government of Macedonia used the police, which closed the Office of the TU and ruined the building which was aimed for the Faculty of the Mathe- matical and Natural Sciences and there were taken for informative meetings in the police several professors, students and activists.
The TU started its education process in February 15th and 16th, but the Macedonian police attacked the University with all possible means of violation. So, against the innocent Albanian population, which had come to salute the beginning of the University, the Macedonian police used weapons offire, the tear gas, maltreated a big mass of the popu- lation, AN ALBANIAN YOUNG MAN WAS KILLED and there were sent to prison: The Rector of the TU, some professors and activists and political leaders.
Besides the above mentioned barriers made by the Macedonian Gov- ernment, the TU is being supported and aided by the people, and thanks to the decision of the students and professors it completed one year of education. Now it has one year of tradition and existence, having orga- nized all aspects of the activity and the entire necessary documents for regular work.
For the time being the TU has 6 Faculties with 18 Sections, that is departments: 1.The Faculty of Philology with its deparments: Albanians Langu- age and Literature, English Language and Literature, German Language and Literature, and Orientalistics; 2.The Faculty of Philosophy with the departments: History and Pe- dagogy; 3.The Faculty of Mathematical and Natural Sciences with the depar- tments: Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Mathematics and Geography; 4.The Faculty of Law; 5.The Faculty of Economics and 6.The Academy of Beautiful Arts with the departments: Picture, Sculpture, Graphics, Music-the pedagogical section, and the Drama-Acting.
The Tetova University in the course of this academic year will have 1300 students, half of which are females, 150 professors which are all citizens of Macedonia. The educational process, the scientific and administrative ones will be performed in 15 classrooms, and in 5 offices. There is a Library with about 10,000 copies of books of different profiles with a capacity of about 200 persons-readers.
The TU has no political intentions as the Macedonian Government wants to convince the world, in fact to deceive it, in order to prevent its activity. It has only educational character and aim, as well as the 2 macedonian universities and all the universities in the world. Albanians as a nonslavic population usually have been discriminated in all aspects of life, the cultural one, the scientific one, the economic one, the poli- tical one, and the administrative one, preventing them to get developed as a normal nation and civilized one, too.
The TU is open for all citizens of Macedonia who want to study here. Not only Albanians, but Macedonians, and others too, who if they can and want, may have their sections and faculties in their mother tongues.
The inner view, the planprogrammes, are in total harmony with those of the other two universities in Macedonia. The only difference is the instruction language and the administration which has been done in Albanian and Macedonian.
In order to know the Macedonian language better, the students of the TU learn Macedonian in all sections, in fact faculties, and those who study History learn the History of the Macedonian people, as well.
So, the TU is really a University of Macedonia, and Albanians are its faithfull citizens, which have always fulfilled all obligations to the government, as for example sending their children to serve in the ARM to protect its borders, but which must be equal for all its citizens. There are no reasons for the present day Macedonian Government to be affraid from the TU and its citizens who just want to get educated, cultured and eman- cipated, having as its intention the democratic and pluralistic but integ- rated and modern Europe.
Macedonia must have the same obligations towards all of its citi- zens, and to take care not only for the education of the Macedonians, but also for the education of the Albanians, and it must recognize the TU as a real necessity of its people-citizens, in this era of computers, and this University must be put in its educational, legal and financed struc- ture of the Republic of Macedonia, as is the case with the other two uni- versities in Macedonia.
So far the TU has been selffinanced by volunteer donators, which have given their contributions from all over theRepublic and abroad. These donators have been all Albanians from Macedonia.
Supporting the TU, you support a big wish of the Albanians to get educated and go hand by hand with the emancipated and civilized people of the world. By supporting the TU, you back a hearth of education and cul- ture which bring people together and their traditions, too, which is a factor of big relevance for the prosperity and stability of Macedonia and the Balkans. If Macedonia, which has 2 universities in Macedonian with over 30 faculties, some High School and Arts Academies, and all of this done with a share of Albanians' contributions of all kinds, happens to forbid the Albanians to get educated in their mother tongue, then nobody can expect peace and security in Macedonia.
