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Macedonia
Mozaik
Mozaik is a unique model of bilingual and multicultural pre-schooling in public kindergartens, bringing together children from Albanian, Turkish, Serbian and ethnic Macedonian communities. Education in Macedonia is highly segregated based on ethno-linguistic criteria. Because children from the country’s various communities commonly attend separate classrooms, from kindergarten through high school - and even at university - most children rarely come into contact with peers from other communities. Mozaik preschool groups are the only example in Macedonia of bi-lingual, multicultural education at any level.
Goals
This project demonstrates a positive model of multi-ethnic/bilingual education for education authorities, communities, parents and children throughout Macedonia. Targeting the kindergarten level is a strategic approach given the structural and political barriers within the Macedonian education system.
Background
The Mozaik initiative began in 1998 with implementation in public kindergartens. Mozaik teachers were carefully selected and provided with an eight-month intensive teacher’s training and host kindergartens were furnished with all necessary materials and equipment.
Project Reach and Results
Over the past twelve years, more than 850 children has passed through the Mozaik kindergartens in nine municipalities. It is SFCG’s longest continually-funded program. Teaching young children to be free of prejudice has also influenced kindergarten staff, their family members and education authorities, reaching over 2000 beneficiaries and engendering wider changes in attitudes across society.
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Children attending Mozaik groups have shown high levels of tolerance towards the opinions, needs and acts of other children, regardless of their ethnic background.
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Most children express a high level of sensitivity toward others in conflict situations. Children demonstrated problem-solving skills and repeatedly acted to mediate conflict between their peers.
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SFCG has won approval of the Mozaik curriculum by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy and Ministry of Education and Science as well as their agreement to incorporate elements of the Mozaik methodology in public preschool education in Macedonia.
“The Mozaik approach combines different cultures, languages and traditions in a very spontaneous and natural way. It causes great curiosity among children because they are creatively involved in daily activities, and they never get bored of playing with their classmates and Mozaik teachers. Also, children learn how to break gender and ethnic stereotypes towards their pears. Another important fact is that Mozaik integrates children with developmental problems. Parents of these children and medical therapists recommend other parents to bring their children to the Mozaik groups--for its healthy environment which is adequate for children's physical and psycho-social development. After successful years of the Mozaik implementation, and a great interest for this model expressed by hundreds of parents--the best prospect for Mozaik is to be integrated into the national educational pre-school system and further expand to other communities in Macedonia and in the region.”
- Ministry of Labour and Social Policy
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