Students at 30 primary and secondary schools across Macedonia are set to receive improved conditions for physical and health education, as well as sports training, through a project worth around €3 million. The initiative focuses on rehabilitating school facilities used for physical education and providing new sports equipment, with the goal of giving students safer and better equipped spaces for exercise and school sports. The project is being co financed by the Ministry of Education and Science, the Western Balkans Investment Framework and the Council of Europe Development Bank. One of the schools included in the project is Panajot Ginovski Primary School in the Butel Municipality. The school is among the institutions receiving improvements as part of the wider investment, which is designed to address the conditions in which students participate in physical education and sports activities. The project was presented at an event called “Learn, Play, Grow,” where the results and improvements achieved through the initiative were highlighted. Education and Science Minister Vesna Janevska said that support from European partners is important for improving school conditions and creating an environment where students can learn and develop.
The investment is focused not only on the appearance of school facilities, but also on creating more appropriate conditions for regular physical activity. Rehabilitated spaces and new sports equipment can give students greater opportunities to participate in different forms of exercise and school sports, while providing teachers with better conditions for conducting physical and health education classes. The project also comes at a time when school sport and physical activity continue to receive attention as important parts of children’s education and development. According to the ministry, improving educational infrastructure is an important part of creating schools where students can feel safe, accepted and supported in their development. Physical education can play a role beyond sport itself, giving children opportunities to develop habits around physical activity while also learning cooperation, discipline and teamwork. The project therefore combines investment in school infrastructure with the broader goal of creating better everyday conditions for students.
With 30 schools included, the project represents a wider investment in school sports facilities across the country rather than improvements limited to a single institution or municipality. The combination of infrastructure rehabilitation and new equipment is expected to give students better spaces for physical education and sports training, while also supporting teachers in their everyday work. For the schools involved, the changes mean that sports and physical education can take place in facilities better suited to the needs of today’s students, making the €3 million investment a direct improvement to an important part of school life.
