The second protest took place in Skopje on Monday, following the rally held on April 6, where the full implementation of the Albanian language in institutional and professional processes was demanded.

Pedagogist Elsa Skënderi, invited to the show "This Week" on News24, praised the student protests as a healthy and idealistic expression of society, emphasizing that they should be listened to carefully.

According to her, the use of the Albanian language in public institutions should not be seen as a political or technical issue, but as a fundamental human right and part of civic identity and dignity.

She stated that Albanians in North Macedonia should fully enjoy the rights they have acquired over the years, emphasizing their state-forming role and contribution to society.

Skënder also brought examples from EU countries, emphasizing that minority languages ​​are treated as an asset and not as an obstacle, while underlining that even in North Macedonia the Albanian language should have equal status in accordance with European standards.

Elsa Skenderi: There has always been a kind of sectarian attitude. I remember here, I had a student who was learning Albanian who was from Skopje, and she said: “I only learned Albanian because at a certain moment I became curious about Albanian songs, what they are.” And we have no kind of interaction with Albanians, we have no kind of communication. That is, there is a kind of sectarian approach that in a way calls into question that matrix and social cohesion.
And it is surprising how this government and this state do not see these young people, and Albanians as well, as human capital that contributes to the state. And how can they justify this kind of attitude in general towards Albanian? That the whole movement is clearly a movement for dignity, not simply for a technicality, for an exam that until… until maybe a year ago was given in the same way in the Macedonian language. So, they have done as those Albanians have done. Why should it always be those poor Albanians who do as they do to win, to receive or to enjoy more precisely a right that is theirs?

The right to language, the right to education, are among the basic human rights that are absolutely indisputable in this time we live in. Secondly, in all contexts of developed countries, languages ​​are seen as an asset, and judicial rights are also respected absolutely and are not discussed. Even one example here is enough to understand a little, it is enough to see the approach. For example, in Finland there are 5% of the population who are Swedish, and just because there are 5% Swedes and 95% Finns, Swedish is the official language. And when a foreigner goes and wants to obtain citizenship in Finland, he can take either the Swedish or Finnish exam. So the languages ​​have equal status.
The same thing should have been, with absolutely equal status, it should have been in North Macedonia, where the percentage is higher. Even higher than reported by the census, because this is also... this is also an aspect.
29.5% is almost 30%, it's not that small.
Even the European Union's standard for languages ​​is: each of the languages ​​of the states is an official language and there are 24 of them today. And it goes without saying that all languages, and multiculturalism, multilingualism is seen as multiculturalism, as a plurality of cultures and languages ​​can never at any time take over from each other. It is simply wealth, and a right that must be respected because it is a right that marks the essence of identity and human dignity.