“Students must be supported until the Albanian language is accepted” — Albanologists back student protest in Skopje
The protest by Albanian students in Skopje, North Macedonia, is being described as justified by Albanologists gathered in Prishtina during a week dedicated to Albanian language studies.
Albanologist Asllan Hamiti, a professor at Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, said the students’ demand to take the jurisprudence exam in Albanian is legitimate.
“Every person, and every people, has the human right to speak and write in their mother tongue. Therefore, the students’ request is completely justified and legitimate, and I believe it should be supported by everyone so that, besides completing their studies in their mother tongue, namely Albanian, they can also take their final exams in their native language,” Hamiti said.
He added that this is an attempt by the government to obstruct linguistic equality between Albanian and Macedonian.
“This is an attempt to prevent linguistic equality, so that Albanian can become, or remain, an equally used official language throughout the entire territory of the Republic of North Macedonia,” he added.
Another Albanologist, Xhafer Beqiraj, a professor at Ukshin Hoti University, also said that Macedonian politics is still not ready to accept Albanian as an equal language in the country.
According to him, efforts must continue to ensure that Albanian is treated equally with the Macedonian language.
Albanian students in Skopje have protested several times before over this issue.
