Skopje, 22 September 2021 (MIA) – Currently, there’s no need for additional measures aiming to protect students from COVID-19 at schools other than those proposed by the Commission for Infectious Diseases, Education Minister Mila Carovska said in regard to the donation of rapid tests from the Municipality of Ilinden for the three elementary schools and one high school on its territory. “If the Commission for Infectious Diseases proposes a protocol, all municipalities and all schools should abide by it. If they didn’t recommend testing than there’s no need for it. When they determine that there is, we’ll introduce it at all schools, but currently stakeholders should just abide by the measures that are in force, including disinfection, temperature checks, etc.,” Carovska told reporters during a visit to the Gjorche Petrov high school in Kriva Palanka. The Minister underlined that schools are prepared to switch to the remote learning model, teachers have received instructions and have access to the national platform and schools that registered new cases and had their students put in isolation have made use of these tools. Moreover, she added that the system has been proven to work and has been available for holding online classes since September 1, when four Tetovo and Gostivar high schools launched remote instruction. In regard to criticism from the opposition aimed at use of tablets and digital textbooks, Carovska told reporters that she doesn’t understand their comments and sees no problem in schools loaning tech tools to students who can’t afford to buy them. She underlined that libraries have hard copies of textbooks and will hand them out to students who can’t use digital devices because they don’t have electricity at home. “We learned last year that there are 1,200 such students. For 12 years the opposition failed to find out how many students in the country don’t have electricity at home. We found out in a year. Textbooks have been printed out for 20% of students and delivered to libraries so that they can access them. The same goes for students who don’t have digital devices,” Carovska said. She added that the opposition has failed to provide constructive comments regarding projects implemented by the Ministry of Education, even though they’re public and include providing equipment for schools, establishing new classes and implementing the new elementary school concept. “I call on political parties not to meddle in the education system and processes, because education is blind to politics. We have one goal – to improve the quality of education. They didn’t try to do this, resulting in terrible PISA, TIMMS and PIRLS results and trying to maintain a status quo instead of making bold moves to promote the education system. We won’t be stopped by petty political goals, but will work in our children’s best interests,” Carovska told reporters in Kriva Palanka.