Skopje, 4 November 2022 (MIA) — Schools have leaders who are responsible for organizing an uninterrupted educational process, and this means they have a duty to make sure students are safe at school, the Ministry of Education and Science told MIA regarding student absences caused by bomb threats at Skopje high schools in recent weeks. “Elementary schools and high schools fall under the jurisdiction of their municipal councils, which provide support to them as do the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Interior whenever additional support is needed, because the state institutions always prioritize the best interests of students and young people in general,” the Ministry of Education and Science said. Also, according to the state’s education authorities, each teacher was finding their own way of making up for for the classes cut by the evacuations and bomb checks. Meanwhile, in a press release, the Ministry of Education and Science said the government’s subsidized electricity price of EUR 95 per megawatt hour for schools amid the energy crisis was “a great support for the uninterrupted organization of classes in the format that is in students’ best interest – going to school in person.” According to the release, in-person instruction "is set to continue smoothly through the end of the year" thanks to an agreement the government signed with Power Plants of North Macedonia's sales department for lowering the schools' power bills. A total of 366 elementary schools and 109 high schools will receive the government’s electricity subsidies. mr/