Ohrid, 29 August 2023 (MIA) — Ohrid schools are seeing a drop in the number of students as local population numbers decline due to falling birth rates and emigration, city council representatives told MIA's Ohrid correspondent.

At Tuesday's session of the local self-government, the city council adopted a decision allowing schools to form classes with a smaller number of students than the minimum previously allowed.

According to the latest figures released from the local Department of Education, 445 children were enrolled in the first grade in Ohrid elementaries, which is 94 fewer than last year when there were 539 first graders.

The Ohrid High School has enrolled a total of 91 middle school graduates for the 2023-24 school year, divided into seven classes of 13 students each.

Speaking at the session, councilor Naum Jamnadiev said that in his 25 years of service as a high school teacher he had seen the number of middle school graduates drop from 1,200 when he started teaching to 450 this year. mr/