Student protests in Macedonia (please spread...

[quote=TROLLing1999]@Toshabi: Do you understand that the thing with private universities is that even geniouses cannot afford them? Or do you actually believe that the most smart and hard-working people in the world study in Harvard or Cambridge? Also it's not impossible to provide good level of education at no cost. Look at the german universities for instance.[/quote]

[quote=XeresAce][quote=The_Nameless_Bard]Wait....two years of material? I know nothing about this test, but here you take at least one of two tests that expects you to remember at least 4 years worth of material. You're required to have a score on one of them to even be able to apply to any good college and the amount of scholarships they give you is often based on that. >.> Also marks have nothing to do with intelligence, they mostly reflect your ability to complete the work given you. When you're bored out of your skull constantly because they've rehashed the same shit 5 times and can't be bothered to do homework it kind of offsets your test scores even when you're pulling As on your tests without studying. This being from a person who got mostly Bs purely out of laziness. Yea, I was THAT guy in HS...the one who did maybe 25% of the homework and still showed up and got good grades on the tests. This is 'murica though...sooo yea.[/quote] You schooling system differs from ours. Marks here are correlated with intelligence. We do not get graded based on homework. In-fact, most of our homework consists of making presentations and explaining a certain subject thoroughly as if we were the professors. You will not see anyone who isn't intelligent getting an A... You can't study by heart. Not only this, but the homework we do get is optional 90% of the time. Rehearsed 5 times? Are you fucking kidding me? What I'd give for teachers to be that understanding here... Here teachers wont bother to repeat something if you ask in class, let alone rehearse it 5 times. You missed something the teacher mentioned while you were taking notes and didn't know it on the test? That's 100% your fault. Sometimes, if lucky, we dedicate 1 class before the test to practice and find out the basic structure of the test. If you like studying, it's impossible to be bored out of your skull because everyday you'd be overwhelmed by all the new shit you're expected to learn and understand. Here, at the end of highschool you take 3 tests which cover basic material from your entire time studying. The proposed university exams, however, can pick out anything you've studied during your years, expect you to answer it in detail and then completely remove your right to a higher degree of education permanently if you don't get a certain score. As I said before, I won't personally be affected by this because I know I can pass it with minimal effort... Just because people aren't as smart as me ( or you) doesn't mean they should be denied the chance to further their education... reminder: they don't spend their time doing drugs or partying, they spend it working just to get a chance at that education. If they fail a subject it's mostly cause of exhaustion and lack of time than being lazy.[/quote]

[quote=Jovy]^Yeah, unsurprisingly, that's pretty much what it's like here (Serbia) too.[/quote]

[quote=TROLLing1999]Guys, regardless of educational system, testing and so on education should be free.[/quote]

[quote=XeresAce]We know. The point is because of all the profits made it wont ever be free... at least not by the time I become a student so I see no point in discussing it when there are more pressing matters that have an actual chance at being changed before being implemented.[/quote]

[quote=TROLLing1999][quote=XeresAce]We know. The point is because of all the profits made it wont ever be free... at least not by the time I become a student so I see no point in discussing it when there are more pressing matters that have an actual chance at being changed before being implemented.[/quote] I don't see what you mean there. Germany, Greece and many many more countries provide free education at a (relatively) good level.[/quote]

[quote=Toshabi][quote=TROLLing1999]@Toshabi: Do you understand that the thing with private universities is that even geniouses cannot afford them? Or do you actually believe that the most smart and hard-working people in the world study in Harvard or Cambridge? Also it's not impossible to provide good level of education at no cost. Look at the german universities for instance.[/quote] I afforded private university education working minimum wage jobs and slowly progressed to higher paying jobs from my work experience and ability to advanced. Mind you, this was also done while I was working AND going to school, having 12 hour long work/school days. Your argument is invalid. My hard word has provided me with an excellent education studying with very motivated and enthusiastic professors. And mind you, this all came from my pocket. Having gone to private and public schools, I can assure you that the quality difference in teachers is more consistent in the private sector. And no, I'm not by any means rich, considering my own income is roughly 25k before taxes. Additionally, to enter these colleges, a test was given to me, which I passed with flying colors. Much of the student base at my college show determined students who truly want to be here, whereas my previous college, roughly 30-50% would actively dodge/text in class. [quote=TROLLing1999]Guys, regardless of educational system, testing and so on education should be free.[/quote] Wrong. See the overcrowding of college classes and drop in quality of education provided. This is why there's such a vast quality difference between private universities and public ones. [quote=XeresAce] As I said before, I won't personally be affected by this because I know I can pass it with minimal effort... Just because people aren't as smart as me ( or you) doesn't mean they should be denied the chance to further their education... reminder: they don't spend their time doing drugs or partying, they spend it working just to get a chance at that education. If they fail a subject it's mostly cause of exhaustion and lack of time than being lazy.[/quote] Are you reading what you're typing?[/quote]

[quote=XeresAce]^ Yes, I am indeed reading what I'm typing. And yes, I just said that I'm smarter than 80% of my peers. Even if I had to work full time I would still be able to retain enough info just from attending classes and be able to pass... Just because I personally won't be too phased by this doesn't mean that I should just sit by and watch such a huge portion of this country's students suffer... Trust me, what you see here is not arrogance - it is a legitimate observation. Me, and two of my friends, are the only students with an average grade of 5 (highest) that don't visit extra classes. We also happen to learn most of the stuff in school, only barely working on projects and studying at home... Also, people here who work minimum wage do not have enough money to pay for a private university. As I've said time and time again, only with both your parents working to pay your rent and supply you with food your own income should be enough to go to a public university... Paying more than triple that is completely out of the question. Unless, of course, you feel like waiting 5-6 years to save enough... note that if you don't go to college your parent's will probably stop supporting you financially and you'll need to pay some of the bills too. @Trolling, Macedonia is a corrupt country. It's really hard to compare it those countries considering how easy it is to bend the rules...[/quote]

[quote=The_Nameless_Bard][quote=XeresAce]Rehearsed 5 times? Are you fucking kidding me? What I'd give for teachers to be that understanding here... Here teachers wont bother to repeat something if you ask in class, let alone rehearse it 5 times. You missed something the teacher mentioned while you were taking notes and didn't know it on the test? That's 100% your fault. Sometimes, if lucky, we dedicate 1 class before the test to practice and find out the basic structure of the test. If you like studying, it's impossible to be bored out of your skull because everyday you'd be overwhelmed by all the new shit you're expected to learn and understand.[/quote]I was exaggerating a bit for the sake of making a point, I just got bored really fast because I should probably have skipped more than a few grades...but this is the US so they generally decided my "social maturity" was more important than my intellectual readiness. Meaning "not playing well with others" (or at all with others, in this case) was an excuse to keep me where I was instead of taking me out of classes where I was just irritating teachers by not paying attention or doing any work yet passing every test.[/quote]

[quote=XeresAce]Meh I cba to discuss on this topic anymore, seems like the government is gonna pass the rule without giving a shit anyway... People in my town have already lost the will to protest. If nobody has anything else to say then I'd request a mod to lock this thread[/quote]