PART OF THE MONOGRAPH “GOJKO JAKOVLEVSKI” BY SLAVE KATIN
I n 1956, Goyko tried to get a scholarship to study at the Technical Faculty in Skopje, but he failed. He wanted to study medi cine, but he did not receive a scholarship for this faculty either. His father Delche, who wanted his son to return to Macedonia and study in Skopje, was engaged to find a schol arship. His friends informed him that the Tetovo Forestry economy needed a forest ry engineer and that they ready to provide his son with a scholarship. Having no oth er choice, Goyko accepted the scholarship, which enabled him to pay only for accom modation and food in the student canteen. In 1957, he enrolled the Faculty of Forestry in Skopje. He was accommodated in the “Stiv Naumov” Dormitory in Gazi Baba. Although studying at the Faculty of Forestry was not his wish, Goyko was keen to attend lectures, study and take exams regularly.
The Faculty of Forestry was founded shortly after the liberation, that is, after World War II, in the years of rebuilding the war-torn country. Among other problems during this period was the need for staff education in general, including in the field of forestry. This is especially important be cause in those years there were only a few highly qualified forestry experts in the Republic of Macedonia. They could not meet even the basic needs for restoration, devel opment and modernization of forestry as part of the total economy.
At this time, there is a special need to start planning management of forests and forest resources, afforestation of bare and eroded areas and terrains, prevention of fur ther degradation of forests and forest lands etc. This was particularly relevant given the specific geographical and climatic condi tions and the unfavorable treatment of the forest in the past. Thus, not only meeting the needs of the tree for the rebuilding of the country, but also the introduction of planned forest management and as much urgent res toration and improvement as possible of the extremely unfavorable forest fund, required training of highly educated and expert staff.
Taking into consideration this situation and considering the justification for solving these problems from a wider social and eco nomic point of view, the Government of the People’s Republic of Macedonia, through its body – the Ministry of Agriculture and For estry, makes a decision to establish an insti tution for training of highly qualified staff from the field of agriculture and forestry, i.e. establishment of the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry. Since its establishment in 1947, the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry has been listed among the founding members of the future Macedonian University.
Within the newly formed FNRY, the Mac edonian state – People’s Republic of Macedo nia was established on the liberated part of Macedonia, which as a federal unit has joined the FNRY. Ravaged by centuries of slavery and destroyed by four years of war, the liber ated People’s Republic of Macedonia needed a quick rebuild. The lack of expert staff was particularly difficult and became a priority to address.
The Faculty St. Cyril and Methodius
In extremely difficult material condi tions, but with great effort and enthusiasm, the personnel problem began to be gradu ally resolved. In doing so, there was a nec essary solidarity with the other republics of the then Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which, to their advantage, provided assis tance and contributed to the development of the faculty. Thus, already in the school year of 1951/52 , the Forestry Department had 9 full-time teachers as well as 8 part time teachers and 5 full-time assistants. In 1950, the first forestry graduates began to come out. That year 6 students graduated from the Forestry Department.
Along with the operation of the faculty, efforts were being made to improve its mate rial base. Thus, in 1950, the Forest Research Station was established within the Faculty of Forestry with the task to establish field teaching-scientific facilities, such as: live collection of indigenous and non-native for est species; dendro – park; nurseries; plants; greenhouse; hunting ground etc. Locations for these facilities were obtained around the building of today’s Faculty in Skopje in the village of Trubarevo in the Skopje suburb. In addition, in 1952, the faculty acquired a special teaching-scientific facility – Faculty of Forestry Management “Karaorman”, based in Kicevo. The first reform of the edu cational process was made in 1964 with the introduction of the first degree in Wood working for higher education. Teaching for such a staff profile lasted only two years. At the Department of Forestry within the Fac ulty of Agriculture and Forestry, until 1972, teaching continued in the sole concentra tion of General Forestry.
In 1972, a second reform of the education al process followed. On the initiative of the economy and on the recommendation of the Assembly of SRM, at the Forestry Depart ment, besides the Forestry concentration, the Wood Industry was also opened. Due to the need for closer specialization and due to the specific specifications, by the decision of the Assembly of SRM, in 1975, two separate faculties were established from the Facul ty of Agriculture and Forestry at that time: Faculty of Forestry and Faculty of Agricul ture. This period coincides with the then re form processes in the field of education and science.
The main purpose of the reforms at the time was to rationalize higher education, i.e. its gradual transformation into so-called institutional teaching. It involved the inte gration of education and research activities with the rational use of material and human resources. In addition to its educational activity, since its establishment, the Faculty of For estry has been engaged in solving numer ous scientific and research problems in the economy. Work in the field of science and re search was carried out through research on a number of scientific projects and topics in the field of forestry and timber industry.
He passed his exams regularly, with aver age success, and in 1961, when he was alum nus, he had two more exams left to grad uate: “Tree Anatomy” and “Floods”. He had prepared both exams, which means he could pass them, and earn the title of “Engineer in Foresty”. However, at the same time, the fac ulty staff suggested that he should go to a specialization in Germany, in West Germany at that time, which until a few years ago was said to be the worst country, as a fascist state guilty of all the crimes of World War II etc. …
He was very surprised about being select ed to go to Germany, and he says „Why was I nominated and selected to go to specialization. I was neither the best stu dent, nor was I a party activist. Later, some of my colleagues and friends told me that at party meetings there was a discussion about whether I should be sent (whether I deserve). It was reported that Goyko was a good student who regularly took the exams, that I was disciplined, sociable, but not a member of the KPM – Communist Party of Macedonia, that is, the Communist Party of Yugoslavia etc. However, despite this, I was chosen to go to Germany because I was one of the few students at the Faculty of Forest ry, and beyond, who has a certain knowledge of the German language. As a high school student in Sofia, I studied German for four years, and my teacher was born German, named Olga Gelch. At that time in Bulgaria, Russian was compulsory, while other lan guages such as English, French and German were elective “.
Goyko links his going in Germany for spe cialization to a part of his life in Sofia. Name ly, when he was only seven years old, he had many meetings with German troops in So f ia. Then he saw German soldiers, dressed in f ine uniforms, handsome and young march ing down the Sofia streets. It was the time of royal Bulgaria, of Tsar Boris, who was an ally of Adolf Hitler’s Germany. Some of the sol diers would run over to him, look at him and occasionally give him a chocolate. Goyko had a blonde hair and in their eyes he looked like a German. Later, from 1957 to 1961, while studying at the Faculty of Forestry in Skop je, his peers called him Armin Hrit, German, world champion in 100 meters race. Perhaps, for this very reason, he chose to study Ger man language. Then, as a child, he could not know Hitler’s megalomanic intentions and German politics .
. To be continue
By SLAVE KATIN
