Skopje, 11 September 2024 (MIA) - Considering the mass emigration, a so-called 'teacher surplus' pattern is emerging, although I personally believe that a teacher cannot be seen as surplus. We only need to make them operational so they remain in the education process, said Minister of Education and Science Vesna Janevska on Wednesday.

Minister Janevska said the single-shift strategy and longer stay of pupils and teachers in schools has shown to be very effective in most countries.

"When we create normal classes of about 20 pupils, the surplus teacher will continue to work in the second part of the day, in line with the school programme and extracurricular activities. We should utilize the entire pool of teachers so that pupils acquire better knowledge," Janevska told reporters.

In addition, she added, certain state institutions lack human capacities, such as the Education Development Bureau, the State Education Inspectorate, the State Exam Center and the Center for Secondary Vocational Education and Training.

"Once we make slight changes in the laws, we will offer teachers a transfer to these institutions so they can provide their input in education by conveying their experience and knowledge to those teachers who need training and assistance. The process takes a lot of effort and it is complicated but together with our foreign partners we have the energy and will to do something in order to improve the education of our pupils. Optimization, financing and infrastructure changes are all part of the process, which cannot be implemented in two, three or five months," added Janevska.

According to her, the important thing is to have an outcome that is lasting and effective, noting "the end product is a student with the same knowledge as peers in EU countries".

Photo: MIA