New school plan will make sure the children are home by 4.30 and have time for family activities

The plan entails students remaining at school from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. In addition to regular classes, the day would include free-time and interactive activities, various clubs, and time for completing homework, explained Minister of Education and Science Vesna Janevska during an appearance on 4TV, where she discussed the optimization of the school network.

Time spent at school means more than just studying. Children will be able to learn foreign languages, ballet, or sports there; upon returning home, they will have no additional obligations or heavy backpacks, allowing them to devote themselves fully to their families. Global research clearly shows that children who spend more time in a school environment achieve significantly better results, Janevska explained.

According to the announcements, this full-day school program is intended to facilitate a different organization of the educational process while also providing employment for teaching staff who might otherwise become redundant due to the merging of classes.  Janevska also addressed the infrastructure requirements for implementing single-shift schooling. According to the data she presented, more than half of the country’s schools—583 primary and 37 secondary schools—are already operating on a single-shift basis.

Skopje remains the biggest challenge in this process, primarily due to constant migration and the high concentration of students in specific neighborhoods and schools. The Minister noted that efforts are underway to resolve this issue by building new classrooms and expanding existing school facilities.

According to Janevska, continuity is essential for a realistic assessment of the results of education reforms. She believes that the frequent changing of education policies with each new political administration leaves insufficient time for a reform to be fully implemented and to demonstrate its impact.

As she pointed out, at least one full generation needs to go through the reforms before a realistic assessment of the achieved results can be made.