PLD: Declining First-Grade Enrollment Signals Fewer Young People, Workers and a Bleaker Future for Macedonia

The Education Minister’s announcement that at least 3,000 fewer students will enroll in first grade during this school year represents the strongest criticism of the government’s policies, the PLD says. According to the party, this indicator is not merely a statistic, but an alarm signal that Macedonia is being emptied at a rapid pace.

The PLD asks who will attend schools in the future if the country has thousands fewer children every year, while the minister is trying to present the state graduation exam as an achievement.

The party stresses that it cannot be claimed that the education system is successful at a time when schools are being left without students and young people continue to leave the country.

According to the PLD, misguided policies, economic insecurity, a lack of trust in institutions and a lack of vision are the direct causes of the demographic decline. Every year with a lower number of first-grade students means fewer young people, a smaller workforce and a weaker future for Macedonia, the statement emphasizes.

The party adds that this issue cannot be reduced to an ordinary figure in a report.

At the end of the statement, the PLD calls for the urgent drafting of a national strategy for demographic renewal and support for young people. At the same time, it calls for the adoption of concrete measures that would create conditions for citizens to remain in their homeland and build their future there./Telegrafi/