North Macedonia has very limited provision for physical education in schools, as shown by its lagging behind in comparative regional indicators. The lack of facilities provision, gym halls, open and closed playgrounds and sports fields - varies geographically across the country and is generally poorer in rural areas. Many schools lack space for facilities and where facilities do exist they are often obsolete and in poor condition. The government has embarked on a programme to respond to this predicament which includes upgrading existing facilities, providing new physical education premises and installing new equipment. As an add-on, the authorities agreed that every school that would receive a new physical education facility would also be refurbished in terms of regular maintenance to meet the minimum requirements for learning.
WBIF is helping with the upgrading of physical education provisions through investment grants that complement CEB loans and national financing. WBIF's support is part of a large programme aimed at fostering rural development by offering a better environment for learning, including physical education through the construction of 145 physical education facilities (PEFs). Two WBIF grants are provided with both focusing on those education establishments in greatest need, most are over 50 years old and suffer from lack of recent refurbishment with many in a dilapidated state. Examples of work include: removing asbestos, providing sanitary ware, window and floor replacement and rehabilitation of heating systems. The first grant supports the rehabilitation of seven secondary schools and the second is the rehabilitation of a further ten schools together with the provision of new equipment for 50 PEFs and the rehabilitation of 30 PEFs. In both cases, the WBIF support and a capital investment grant will also provide for works contract preparation and the supervision of works.
The immediate beneficiaries of the grant assistance are 11,000 children and 700 teachers. The benefits will, over the facility's lifetime, increase these numbers many times. The programme's first phase is anticipated to benefit 29,000 students and 1,700 teachers. As well as providing more amenable conditions for physical education there will also be a long-term improvement in general health and well-being.
The project's promoter is the Ministry of Education and Science. The programme benefits from having a ready-established and capable Project Implementation Unit (PIU) charged with managing the school's upgrading. The WBIF technical assistance support will enhance the PIU's capacity.
