Vesna Janevska: Ministry found irregularities in pupils' nutrition, will issue recommendations

Education Minister Vesna Janevska said a joint study by the Ministry of Education, UNICEF and several non‑governmental organizations has identified irregularities in pupils' nutrition, and that the ministry will soon send dietary recommendations to all schools in the country.

"I understand that children may prefer chips, smoki, biscuits, but I recommend that a pear, an apple, a banana are equally a healthy diet, and schools and the municipality will need to ensure they can provide that," Janevska said during a visit to two newly rebuilt school sports halls in Shtip and Karbinci.

The minister explained the recommendations will follow from the findings of the research and will aim to help schools promote healthier eating among pupils.

At the opening of the renovated sports hall at Dimitar Vlahov Primary School in Shtip — the first school in the municipality to adopt a mobile phone ban — Janevska noted that many schools across the country have already taken measures restricting phone use.

"In many schools, phones are placed aside before class and I think that is right, because children's attention should be focused on learning, the teacher and the book in front of them. There may be exceptions when children need to use phones to complete a teaching task. But that should be strictly controlled by the teacher and afterwards they should be returned to a place where they are not accessible," she said.

Dejan Zdravkov, the principal of Dimitar Vlahov, said feedback from parents, teachers and pupils has been positive since the school introduced the ban on phones and restrictions on unhealthy snacks. "We have received feedback from parents, teachers and the children themselves. Communication has improved, physical communication. They no longer walk with bowed heads along the corridors and the schoolyard. That was agreed in line with the Parents' Council," Zdravkov said.

Photo: press material from the event