Education Minister Shaqiri calls for responsibility in funds management amid energy crisis
Skopje, 13 October 2022 (MIA) – Minister of Education and Science Jeton Shaqiri said he expects everyone involved in the education process to be prepared and responsible in the management of funds amid the energy crisis, adding that the Education Ministry is in communication with municipalities, local institutions and schools every day to deal with the crisis situation.
“Those who were not part of the regulated electricity market will become part of it, and the contribution will be that we will have reduced costs. Some of the municipalities have prepared for reallocation part of the funds from their own budgets. That's why I say that everyone involved in this process will have to be more prepared and more responsible in terms of management,” Shaqiri said ahead of the international conference on the education of persons with disabilities.
In response to reporters’ questions about the document that the Government has forwarded to all bodies in its composition in terms of savings, and about schools being recommended to align the classes i.e. the number of students with the teaching and administrative staff, Shaqiri said it is a project for the optimization of schools across the country, which the Ministry of Education and Science is implementing with UNICEF, noting that it is a process that cannot be implemented in the coming months, but in several years.
He pointed out that the optimization implies good use of resources, finding opportunity for cooperation with the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy for opening preschool institutions in schools where there are fewer children.
“We know that certain schools have fewer children. Together with UNICEF, we started a process of optimization of primary schools, but this cannot be implemented immediately. There are now ten municipalities in a pilot project which will give directions to implement optimization. However, this process cannot be achieved in a few months, but a longer period,” said Shaqiri.
In addition, asked about the Government’s document recommending stricter criteria for awarding scholarships, Shaqiri expressed reassurance that pupils and students won’t be deprived of scholarships awarded by the Ministry of Education and Science in different categories.
“We continue the calls for scholarships and everyone is always welcome. The best ones will always be supported, and this doesn’t mean that the number of scholarships will be reduced for the best. What the Government is saying is that it will be necessary to carefully analyze the data taken from the income of the parents,” said the Minister.
