The primary school "Gjorgji Sugarev" in Bitola has opened a new resource room - a space for supporting pupils who need a different approach from the rest of the class. Mayor Toni Konjanovski and council president Bojan Bojkoski attended the opening.

The room is designed to be used by pupils, educational and personal assistants, teachers and specialist staff, depending on each child's individual needs. It allows for one-on-one and small-group work, additional educational support and skills development - and, just as importantly, an environment where a child can feel safe and accepted.

There is one detail in the announcement worth reading carefully. The equipping and fitting-out was carried out with support from "Hand Till Hand" and "Handelsbankens Fadderbarns Fond". In other words - from donors.

Good news with a question inside it

Inclusion is a legal obligation, not a charity drive. Every primary school in the country is supposed to have the conditions to work with pupils who need additional support, and that is not a matter of a foreign foundation's goodwill. When a resource room in Bitola opens thanks to a Swedish donation, it means the system recognised the need on paper but never covered it with a budget.

The school says the resource room is not just a newly furnished space but a place where inclusion turns into everyday practice. True enough. The question is how many schools in Pelagonija and beyond are waiting for some foreign fund to notice the same need in them.

The children at "Gjorgji Sugarev" have better conditions today than yesterday - that is beyond dispute and it matters. But one room is not a policy. Policy will be when a room like this is standard in every school, rather than news.