A scandal has recently been uncovered after the Minister of Education in North Macedonia, Vesna Janevska, for the umpteenth time attempted to force journalists and politicians to speak in Macedonian, rejecting the Albanian language.
At a meeting where proposals for changes to the higher education law were being debated, Vesna Janevska asked the professors and directors of the University of Tetova to speak Macedonian, arguing that she did not understand Albanian.
When asked not to communicate in Albanian, the journalists responded to the minister by telling her that in such cases she should have taken a translator with her.
Janveska responded by saying that the official language in North Macedonia is Macedonian and therefore everyone is obliged to speak this language.
This is not the first time that Janevska has aimed to ban the use of the Albanian language.
In another case, she asked the mayor of Tetova, Bilal Kasami, to speak Macedonian at a conference, arguing that he did not understand it. However, the latter continued to communicate with journalists in Albanian.
Regarding this situation, the Albanian Opposition Party “Democratic Alliance for Integration” has reacted harshly, stating that the minister’s statements underestimate the Albanian language.
The Albanian language in North Macedonia is not a community language, as Minister Janveska claims, but an official language guaranteed by law.
Do you think you should take a translator with you next time to understand the Albanian language?
Janevska: North Macedonia has an official language and another one spoken by the communities. I am in Tetovo where Albanian is spoken, I don’t need a translator. You need to know Macedonian. I understand a little, but in order not to make mistakes in the translation, please translate for me in the most understandable way.
Next time you come to Tetovo, you should get a translator, the law requires you!
Janevska : The law does not oblige me, do you want to ruin it and talk about the law? Do you want to ruin the beautiful event for which I came here today?