238,000 students start the school year; 620 of 1,023 schools run single-shift

The new school year opens today for 238,000 pupils and secondary students across the country, the Ministry of Education and Science reports. Of them, 174,000 will attend primary schools and 64,000 will enroll in secondary education.

Classes are scheduled to run until 10 June next year, except for graduating students whose school year will finish on 17 May. The winter break between the two terms will be from 31 December to 21 January.

Single-shift classrooms and building projects

This year schools will operate single-shift teaching in 620 of the total 1,023 school buildings. Because some urban areas lack space to move to single-shift, the Ministry is carrying out extension projects to add classrooms. Construction is currently underway in 14 schools in the Skopje municipalities of Centar, Karposh, Aerodrom, Gjorche Petrov, Butel, Gazi Baba, and also in Ilinden and Gradsko; a further 15 projects will start in the coming months.

Education Minister Vesna Janevska informed that there will be 433 fewer class groups this year — 222 fewer in primary education and 211 fewer in secondary — due to the merging and reorganisation of classes with small enrollments. As a result of no enrollments, 26 branch schools will be temporarily closed from September, and 148 school buildings in total remain empty nationwide, mainly in rural areas.

For students with special educational needs, the Ministry says this year the largest number of assistants has been engaged so far: 1,358 in primary and 166 in secondary education. Students on prolonged hospital or home treatment will be able to join their class online or receive individual teaching from a teacher, a possibility introduced by law last year.

Minister Janevska also stated that textbooks were procured on time in the print runs requested by schools, and they have been delivered to schools so they can be distributed to pupils starting today.

Photo: press material from the event