Constitutional Court overturns decision to open high school in Kondovo

The Constitutional Court today overturned the decision to approve the establishment of a private high school « Medresea Isa Beu » – Skopje village of Kondovo, which was adopted by the Government on March 26, 2024.

The court ruled that the government’s decision was illegal and unconstitutional, because the government had agreed, ie allowed the Islamic Religious Community IVZ to be the founder of high school – gymnasium.

-This contradicts Article 7 of the Law on Secondary Education that prohibit religious organization and action and highlight of religious symbols in high schools. Also the content of the decision is not in accordance with Amendment 7 of the Constitution according to which religious communities can establish only religious schools in which religious education is delivered, ie preaching and studying a specific religion – the Constitutional Court said in a statement.

According to the judge-raider Ana Pavlovska-Daneva, the Constitutional Court, with its decision by a majority vote this time, as well as on several occasions earlier with its decisions made in different judicial compositions, stood on the bumper of state secularism.

-The Ustic Court overturned the decision of the Government of RSM on March 26, 2024, which has established the establishment of a private high school « Madrasa Isa Bay » on the grounds that according to the amendment VII, item 2 of the Constitution, it is established that the MOC, the IVZ, the Catholic Church, in the establishment of religious schools and social and charity institutions in a procedure provided by law. Neither the Constitution nor any law in the state enters and provides for a procedure for establishing a private high school with a citizen education by a religious community or a religious group. Hence, the Constitutional Court ruled that the government in March 2024 made an illegal and unconstitutional decision and abolished it-Pavlovska-Daneva said in a written statement.

The court accepted the allegations in the initiative that the government violated the constitutional provision for separation of the state from religious issues.