Ministry of Education and Science and Independent Trade Union of Education, Science and Culture (SONK) which led extensive and constructive dialogue in the past month and a half, Sunday reached mutually acceptable agreement, upon which changes in laws and regulations will be initiated in the following period.

External testing as a process of testing the students and the objectivity of the evaluation of teachers remains to be implemented as a mechanism to increase the quality of the educational system.

Social partners say the system is significantly improved and upgraded in order to initiate and stimulate greater competitiveness among teachers. Thus, the results of the process of external testing will not have repercussions on salaries of teachers, if they are on the list of the largest deviations of grading the students, the opportunity for career advancement will be on hold and they will necessarily have to attend training or counselling.

While, for the teachers who will be in the first half of the list of teachers with the least deviations, an increase of up to 10 percent of salary for the next nine months is foreseen, during which, after three consecutive years if the teacher is still on this list, this increase in salary becomes permanent.

As informed by the Ministry of Education and SONK, both sides agreed to continue their work together towards the development and implementation of the entire process.

Ministry and SONK agree to resume negotiations to establish reasonable opportunities for wage increases in education and in the context of this will intensify talks introducing ranks of teachers, defined by Law on Teachers.

Agreement detailing defined solutions which was adopted at today's session was also attended by the Minister and Deputy Minister of Education and Science, Abdilaqim Ademi and Spiro Ristovski.