Butel Municipality faces dispute over Albanian-language school class closure

The closure of an Albanian-language class at the ‘Petar Zdravkovski-Penko’ primary school in Butel has sparked political tension and protests from ethnic Albanian parties. Following the decision to close the fifth parallel, remaining first-grade classes have become overcrowded, with approximately 30 students per class.

Darko Kostovski, the Mayor of Butel, announced a selective solution reached with the Ministry of Education. Under this arrangement, students from other municipalities, such as Čair, may be admitted to the school only if they have a sibling already enrolled in the institution. Kostovski stated this measure is intended to ensure quality education and is not ethnically motivated.

However, political representatives from BDI, AKI, and VLEN have criticized the move. BDI described the condition as “discriminatory, illegal, and conditional,” arguing that the right to education in one's mother tongue should not depend on family history. AKI and VLEN representatives walked out of a municipal session in protest, claiming the mayor refused to vote on proposals to reopen the class and treated the closure as a “fait accompli.” Teachers have also expressed concern over double standards, noting that Macedonian-language classes are permitted to operate with fewer students, while stricter criteria are applied to Albanian-language classes.