The OSCE Mission to Skopje, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and nine selected municipalities marked Thursday the completion of the first phase of the Safe Schools project.

Project "Safe Schools-Harmonious Environment" brings together teachers, students, parents, police, social services, and other concerned community members to jointly address the issue of school safety and succeeded in actively involving the students in vesting a part of the responsibility for school safety in their hands.

Minister of Interior Gordana Jankuloska highlighted the importance of coordinated prevention in annulling incidents in schools.

"Violence among youth is not only a real socio-pathological phenomenon, but also leads to further deviant recruiting of young people. There is a very thin line between negative conduct of youth reflected in violation of public order and classical criminal behavior treated in criminal regulations", said Jankuloska.

Head of OSCE Mission to Skopje, Ambassador Ralf Breth said the project was implemented in secondary schools in Veles, Kumanovo and Probistip in 2010 and 2011, followed by its enlargement in schools in Bitola, Tetovo, Ohrid, Struga, Gostivar, Kicevo and Makedonski Brod.

Minister of Education and Science Pance Kralev said the project represented another tool in the overall engagement of institutions in Macedonia towards combating violence and its prevention at an early age.