Skopje, 31 August 2023 (MIA) - The new school year is set to start on Friday and will end on June 17, 2024. Minister of Education and Science Jeton Shaqiri wished success to all students and teachers at a press conference on Thursday, ahead of the start of the 2023/2024 school year.

He said that textbooks for sixth grade will be distributed at a later date, as soon as they are approved, and are expected to arrive by the end of September. The new textbooks for third grade, also prepared in accordance with the new curricula, have been approved and are in print, so they can be distributed to students during the first week of September. 

In the meantime, third and sixth grade students and teachers will receive supplementary materials developed by the Education Development Bureau that will be available electronically on the Bureau's website. 

In response to a journalist's question on whether he feels responsibility for the textbooks being late, Shaqiri said that as minister he had completed the entire procedure by the end of July, and he has not participated in the procedures between the National Commission on Textbooks, Pedagogical Service and the opinion on the reviewers.

"I cannot bear responsibility for actions that do not depend on the Minister of Education and Science. When the Ministry of Education receives a decision to print a textbook, it is completed in accordance with the legal deadlines," Shaqiri added.

Regarding the merging of courses, he is firm that the number of classes for teachers will not be threatened.

"In grade six, in the old program and the previous school years, the natural science course was merged and there were no discussions. Discussions stated again with the new concept and the social science course, merging history, geography, civil education. This course is merged only for sixth graders. In response to the reactions I asked the Bureau to prepare a technical and graphic agreement for the annual number of classes, not only for sixth, but also seventh, eighth and ninth grade that study geography. It is the same course as the one last year, which means that there will be no issues with the number of classes," Shaqiri explained.

He added that the Bureau has instructions on how to organize the schedules and that some schools have already done it, while others have not. He called for the curricula and the optional courses to be reviewed, and for the management not to make decisions based on the needs of the teaching staff, but according to surveys of students and parents.

"I am open to discuss any issues regarding seventh and eighth grade, where discussions can be more problematic than sixth grade, and to submit a proposal for possible solutions to the Education Ministry - whether we should reinstate the Cambridge concept or continue with the solutions from the new concept," the Minister said.

As regards secondary education, he noted that 150 textbooks were approved in a year, mostly for vocational schools, and they will be printed and distributed in stages, which will be reported by the schools themselves. These textbooks are delivered electronically, which means that they are available at eucebnici.mon.gov.mk. 

This school year, primary and secondary students will have a spring break for the first time, between April 29 and May 5. Shaqiri also mentioned the new electronic student record, developed with EU's support and IPA funds. It is currently being tested and trainings are conducted in 40 schools as a pilot-project until its functionality is confirmed.

Minister Shaqiri added that the Education Ministry is also focused on infrastructure, and during the summer, 56 schools have been constructed or reconstructed. ssh/nn/

Photo: MIA