Skopje, 2 March 2026 (MIA) — Latin is underrepresented in the proposed new high school curriculum, to the detriment of students' education, according to classical faculty members at the state university in a public letter released Monday.

According to the Faculty of Philosophy's Institute of Classical Studies members, classical languages have been reduced to Latin only — as an elective subject in junior year — and Ancient Greek has been scrapped from the curriculum.

Studying Latin and Classical Culture as an elective "is inadequate to the potential it has to positively participate in achieving the goals, principles and tasks of high school education," the classical studies scholars wrote, adding that all students need to study Latin for a year.

Bringing back Latin as a compulsory subject in high schools "will bring students and graduates from our high schools closer to their peers from European countries and prepare them better for success in various study programs," they wrote.

Latin words, they stress, are foundational to scientific terminology. The Latin language serves as a universal language that ensures precision, consistency and clarity across international borders so "understanding the meaning of Latinisms improves students' literacy and their capacity to express themselves and read professional literature."

There are tangible benefits of studying Latin, they wrote, pointing out that research indicates Latin students more easily master other academic subjects and exhibit increased levels of study achievement in higher education.

"In addition, studying classical languages ​​has been proven to lead to the development of critical thinking and an analytical approach to solving problems," they wrote. mr/