In the rural municipalities of Pelagonia, first-graders will receive one-off financial assistance of between 7,000 and 10,000 denars, depending on where they live. In Zrnovci, outside Pelagonia, the sum is 5,000 denars.

The council of Novaci municipality approved a voucher of 10,000 denars for every first-grader, and 6,000 denars each for pupils from second to ninth grade. Mayor Stevce Stevanovski said the measure is meant to help parents cover the costs of the start of the school year more easily.

Mogila municipality is paying 9,000 denars per first-grader, plus a backpack and school supplies worth up to 1,200 denars. Demir Hisar gives 7,000 denars to every first-grader enrolled in municipal schools. In Zrnovci, on the mayor Vanco Mitev's proposal, the council decided that every first-grader at the Sinisa Stoilov primary school will get a voucher of 5,000 denars.

Help today, demographics tomorrow

The announcements do not hide the second motive. For years the Pelagonia municipalities have watched pupil numbers fall, and the measure is also meant as an attempt to keep young families in their home towns.

This is where the arithmetic gets harder. Ten thousand denars covers a backpack, supplies, shoes and part of the clothing for first grade - real, concrete help in a month when a household budget cracks. But ten thousand denars once a year is not an answer to why a family would stay in Novaci, Mogila or Demir Hisar.

That question is called a job, a clinic within reach, a school that will not close within three years, and a bus that actually departs. No municipal voucher can solve that, and it is worth saying it should not have to - that level sits above the municipality.

What it does mean

It should not be underestimated either. A municipality that sets aside 10,000 denars per child from its own budget made a choice many others did not. The gap between 5,000 and 10,000 denars between neighbouring municipalities says this is a decision, not an automatic entitlement.

The question for next year is whether the list of municipalities with a measure like this will be longer - or shorter, depending on how many children are left to enrol at all.