
A case that has sparked reactions in North Macedonia is related to a school excursion to Monte Carlo , where the principal and assistant principal of a vocational school are suspected of gambling in a casino, while the students they were accompanying waited for them in the corridor.
The accusations were made public by the Social Democratic League of Macedonia (SDSM), while the case was also reported by Macedonian media.
According to Jovançe Manaskov, chairman of the SDSM Committee on Education and Science, the case concerns director Zhaneta Servini and assistant director Lupço Zdravkovski of the Regional Center for Vocational Education and Training "Gjorgji Naumov" in Bitola, while emphasizing that there are video recordings and photographs of the case, which are expected to be published with blurred faces to protect the identity of the underage students.
Manaskov claims that the students were left waiting in the lobby while the people responsible for escorting them played on the slot machines.
"Instead of staying with the students, they were playing on electronic slot machines in a casino. Meanwhile, the underage students, for whom they were responsible, were waiting for them in the lobby. This is an immoral case and for this reason we demand responsibility from the first to the last," he said.
Meanwhile, the opposition party has called on the Minister of Education and Science, Vesna Janevska, to undertake an urgent oversight and examine whether there are grounds for liability against the mentioned persons.
"Responsibility in education is not a privilege, but an obligation. From SDSM, we call on the Minister of Education and Science, Vesna Janevska, to immediately conduct oversight and initiate procedures for determining responsibility and dismissing all persons involved," said Manaskovka.
As of the time of reporting, no reaction has been made known from the director, assistant director or the Ministry of Education and Science regarding these allegations.
The case remains to be verified by the competent institutions, while the accusations published by SDSM do not constitute, in themselves, confirmation of the alleged violations.