CURRENT CHALLENGES IN QUALITY EDUCATION: FROM THE STUDENTS' POINT OF VIEW

Abstract

A high-quality education is the key to individual opportunities. It makes people more open to changing behavior and is at the same time the basis for innovation and a condition for the sustainable development of the Earth. Education is a human right – it enables people to improve their political, social, cultural, and economic situation. Every child has the right to education; every person has the right to have his or her basic learning needs met – for a lifetime.
However, every day we encounter predictable and unpredictable obstacles in the implementation of quality teaching. Classes in schools, training institutions and universities could not be maintained as usual during the pandemic. The victims of this are children, young people, trainees, and students who also have to struggle with psychosocial stress.
However, the thesis we are dealing with refers to the quality in higher education from a general point of view, independent of the challenges currently encountered by higher education institutions.
We carried out research regarding the quality of teaching at several universities in North Macedonia, with the emphasis being on the consequences of online teaching during the pandemic, as well as on the way universities are dealing with the negative consequences of the lack of readiness of educational institutions and the unpreparedness of the teaching staff for distance learning. Our goal in this paper is to present current problems and potential solutions that would contribute to overcoming gaps in the education of university students and establishing quality higher education.