When the school year starts, for many families it brings not just new notebooks but a new hole in the budget. The municipality of Tetovo has decided to help - with one-time financial support of 6,150 denars (about 100 euros) for every first-grader entering the new school year.

The decision was announced by a municipal councilor, with the explanation that the measure should enable „an easier, supported start to the school year for the youngest pupils and their families." Alongside this decision, the Council also approved the reconstruction of a park near the music school in Tetovo.

A hundred euros per child sounds modest - but for a family on a tight budget, that exact money can make the difference between a stressful and a dignified start to school. Backpack, shoes, supplies - it all adds up, while wages stay the same.

Still, it's worth asking the broader question. When one municipality gives direct help for first-graders, that's welcome - but it's also a reminder that the state, at the national level, has no systemic solution for the costs of education. Local initiatives blunt the problem where they reach, but they don't solve it. And a child in Tetovo gets 100 euros; a child in the neighboring municipality - maybe nothing. Help mustn't depend on which municipality a child happened to be born in.