More than 150 students from the outposting department of the “Jastrebački Partizani” Elementary School in Balajnac village in Merošina Municipality are now attending classes in a completely renovated building with better learning and attendance conditions. The European Union (EU), through the EU PRO development programme, allocated 113,000 Euros to finance the facade renovation, replacement of joinery and floors, reconstruction of sanitary facilities and installation of a pellet heating system, to improve the energy efficiency of this facility. The municipality of Merošina participated in the renovation with more than 20,000 Euros.
According to the kids before the renovation the school was old and cold. "We now have a new blackboard, the toilets were renovated and everything is new, nicer and warmer," said one of the students from Balajnac.
"Local self-government in Merošina is focused on creating a better living and working conditions for all of our citizens. This project provided the local children with a new, tidy, modernly equipped facility and warm classrooms," said Sanja Stajić, president of the interim local administration adding that the goal is to match the quality of education to that provided in the urban areas. Three million dinars were earmarked from the municipal budget for additional works on the electrical network, equipping the space for depositing pellets, and redecorating the teacher cabinet.
The school in Balajnac is one of 17 remote outposts of the Merošina elementary school "Jastrebački Partizani" with a total of 800 students.
"This elementary school is a great example of how we can improve the quality of life in localities because together we have created equal opportunities for the education of children and also the conditions for people to stay in smaller communities. It is especially important that this school and kindergarten will be attended jointly by all children from the village, thus fostering the social inclusion of children from the Roma community,” said Dragana Novaković, infrastructure manager in the EU PRO programme.
As she stated, this is one of 37 local infrastructure projects worth 4.5 million Euros that the European Union, in partnership with the Government of Serbia, supports through the EU PRO programme, with the main objective to enhance quality of life by improving conditions of cultural and sports facilities, schools and kindergartens, health and social care institutions, and communal infrastructure.
Additionally, activities related to the implementation of the principles of good governance are implemented in cooperation with the Swiss PRO programme, and envisage that children and parents from the Roma community are actively involved in the education and extracurricular activities in the refurbished premises.