Vesna Janevska: Schools should follow protocols when temperatures are too high

Minister Vesna Janevska urged schools to follow the protocol for dealing with very high temperatures and said the documents have been published on the Ministry of Education and Science website and distributed to all schools.

Janevska noted that climate change is unavoidable and affects children across Europe and the world. She suggested adjustments to lessons and activities when heat makes normal routines impractical.

Explaining practical measures she said: "If it is hot, they will not do physical education; they will have a break, art, music, something else… I do not want to interfere in their work, but here is one idea. If it is colder, they will do some physical exercise. The protocols say when windows should be opened, when they should be closed, and which activities children should have. We must adapt to every challenge," Janevska said.

Protocols and cooling equipment

The minister added that the protocols specify detailed steps — including when to open or close windows and which classroom activities are appropriate under different temperature thresholds. The protocols were published online by the Ministry of Education and Science and forwarded to schools.

On the question of air-conditioning, Janevska answered: "There will be air conditioners when we, as a state, are able to provide air conditioners in all schools." She linked deployment of such equipment to state budget capacity rather than an immediate roll-out.

Dejan Miteski, mayor of the Aerodrom municipality, said local schools follow the protocols prepared by the Ministry and the Center for Public Health and that class durations are shortened only if a yellow warning phase is declared. "In case we enter the yellow phase with temperatures, where there are certain threshold values for each month separately, including September, then we will act in accordance with the protocol. If the yellow phase occurs, the protocol will be followed and lessons will be shortened; however, if we do not have a yellow phase, we will not proceed to shorten the lessons," Miteski said.

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