Governance in education in North Macedonia remains highly centralised. Education policy is shaped at national level by the Parliament and the Government, mainly through the Ministry of Education and Science, which is responsible for legislation, overall system planning, quality development, curricula, textbooks, financing policies, enrolment policies and supervision of educational institutions. At the same time, several specialised bodies support the development and implementation of education policies, including the Bureau for Development of Education, the Centre for Vocational Education and Training Development, the Adult Education Centre and the State Examination Centre.

Local self-government also plays an important role. In accordance with the Law on Local Self-Government, municipalities are responsible for establishing and administering public pre-primary institutions, primary schools and secondary schools, and they participate in their funding and management in cooperation with central authorities. Municipalities are also responsible for aspects such as school transport and student standard services within their competences. The financing system is based on block grants and targeted transfers from the central level, complemented by municipal resources. In recent years, reforms have also focused on strengthening municipal capacities, improving school financing, and introducing a new methodology for calculating and allocating funds for primary and secondary education, to be applied from 2026.