Skopje, 31 August 2025 (MIA) — The new 2025-2026 school year begins Monday with 245,000 students — 177,800 elementary school students and 67,200 high school students — going back to school, Minister of Education and Science Vesna Janevska told a news conference earlier Sunday.

The school year will end on June 10, with the exception of high school graduates, whose classes will end on May 15, Janevska said.

She also told the press teaching conditions had improved in a number of schools and more educational assistants had been hired in elementary schools and, for the first time, in high schools.

Also for the first time, she said, a hospital school program was introduced to address the educational needs of children with cancer who are unable to attend school due to prolonged ill health.

"Depending on their condition, they will be able to join their class online or a teacher will work with them individually," Janevska said.

She pointed out that 90% of the textbooks had already been delivered to schools nationwide. "For the first time in seven years, students will also receive foreign language textbooks, for their ​English, French, German and Italian classes," she said. 

The education minister said the state had also made major progress in improving the educational infrastructure, launching an investment cycle of 67 million euros. Some of the construction projects were completed, she said, and some were under way.

She said teachers would receive higher pay this year, with raises ranging from from 7.5 to 10%, depending on inflation.

Janevska also promised greater financial support to talented students competing in international science competitions, saying the state would fully cover their participation costs. mr/