Dimitar Vlahov Primary School in Shtip bans phones and unhealthy food, receives sports hall

Municipal Primary School "Dimitar Vlahov" in Shtip has become the first — and so far the only — school in the municipality to prohibit use of mobile phones on school grounds and to ban unhealthy foods; the school has also received a new sports hall. The measures were introduced after a decision by the school's Parent Council during the summer, school principal Dejan Zdravkov confirmed.

Parents arrange food supply, school reports change in behaviour

According to the principal, the Parent Council chose a contracted bakery to supply students' meals and snacks. The bakery's menu, the council decided, will include fruit and other items adjusted to the season, while foods deemed unhealthy are no longer allowed into the school.

Principal Dejan Zdravkov said the changes have already been visible among pupils. He described a shift in how children move through the building and interact with one another.

"Until now, when students entered and left the school they had their heads down. Now that is not the case, but on the contrary, with their heads held high they talk to each other. We have not had such communication before. And the decision not to bring unhealthy food is from the Parent Council. They themselves designated a contracted bakery which, according to their menu, will bring food for the students, which necessarily includes fruit, depending on the season," Zdravkov said.

School officials also noted that the new sports hall will expand opportunities for physical education and extracurricular activities, though they did not provide further technical details about the facility. The combined measures — the mobile-phone ban, the food policy and the improved sports infrastructure — are being presented by the school as a package intended to improve pupils' health and social interaction.

For now, Dimitar Vlahov remains the only school in Shtip to adopt this full set of rules, and school leaders say they will monitor effects on attendance, behaviour and student wellbeing as the academic year progresses.

Photo: SDK.MK)