25/06/2026
A+ to the president but the parents and school should be ashamed of themselves.
In North Macedonia, an 11-year-old girl with Down syndrome faced severe isolation at school after parents of other students petitioned against her classroom integration.
The pushback resulted in her being removed from shared educational activities, sparking immediate outrage from her family and inclusion advocates.
When the situation made national headlines, President Stevo Pendarovski intervened personally.
He visited the young girl at her home in Gostivar and publicly walked her back to school, holding her hand to show state-level solidarity against exclusion.
The incident exposed how bullying operates beyond name-calling or physical harm. It includes exclusion, institutional decisions, silence from adults, and policies that isolate children instead of protecting them.
These actions create fear, erode confidence, and damage mental health over time.
Preventing bullying requires early intervention from schools, accountability from adults, and clear boundaries around exclusion. It requires listening to children when they feel unsafe and responding before harm becomes routine.
