Skopje, 11 July 2022 (MIA) – The Assessment of Children’s Online Safety in North Macedonia was presented Monday in Skopje. The assessment was prepared by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), on the basis of the opinions and experiences of children and parents. The Minister of Education and Science, Jeton Shaqiri said that the huge online exposure of vulnerable persons, besides all of the benefits, creates possibilities for abuse, threats, violence and exploitation, confirmed by the notorious cases that the public became familiar with. As well as, numerous other cases that only the children and their families know about. This, he said, is the reason why it is of great importance to systemically protect the youth from the online threats and risks. “Children don’t have a firewall for online risks and threats. We have to build it as a community, as a systemic answer,” said Shaqiri, adding that these complex challenges require the involvement of the entire society, including the governmental and the civil sector, the business community, media and all the citizens. There are no time frames, it is necessary to constantly pay attention and raise the awareness about online threats, cyber violence and digital harassment. In accordance with the new conception for elementary education, digital technology has to be used in ways which are useful and beneficial to the pupils. Digital literacy is one of the national standards of elementary education, which means that pupils gain knowledge, skills and opinions allowing them to be open and familiar with the possibilities, but also the pitfalls of digital technologies and its creative, critical and responsible use for learning, work and other personal and societal activities in their future education. “Digital literacy is being embedded into the curriculum with its inclusion in multiple compulsory and some selective classes, as well as extracurricular activities. The aim is for the pupils to be capable of using digital technologies to find certain information, to be able to skillfully and effectively use digital tools for problem solving, sharing ideas, communication and cooperation within the school and outside of it. And most importantly, to be able to do all that while protecting themselves, through ethical and secure use of digital technologies,” said the Minister. The Assessment of Children’s Online Safety in North Macedonia was drafted in cooperation with the Ministry of Information Society and Administration. ad/ba/