The number of students in Struga drops significantly, more than 3,000 fewer over 20 years

In recent years, Struga has been facing a troubling decline in the number of students. Official data show that over the course of two decades, 3,000 fewer students have been enrolled. The villages in this municipality, which once had many children, are now almost deserted. The decline is not only affecting first-grade enrollment, but the number of classes in higher grades is also shrinking year by year. At the same time, the number of teachers and other newly hired staff has increased.

“Over a period of 20 years, Struga has more than 3,000 fewer students. Meanwhile, over a period of 5 years, the number has fallen by around 500 children. However, an interesting phenomenon has emerged here. From the analyses we conducted, it turned out that even though the number of students has decreased, the number of employees has increased. I briefly explained this earlier as well. So, there are two reasons: first, the lower birth rate and second, migration,” said Xhemi Hajredini, head of the Education Sector.

Faced with this situation, the local authorities in Struga are proposing as a solution the closure of primary schools in rural settlements and a reduction in the number of classes. This approach is also supported by the mayor, Mendi Qyra, who considers the measure necessary, but stresses that teachers will not lose their jobs.

“We will carry out rationalization because this has been requested by the Ministry of Education. This is implemented in coordination with the Ministry of Education. As a municipality, we have taken measures because we have classes with only one student, where for one student there are up to 30 teachers. This is not only a financial burden, but also a lack of socialization for students. Of course, there is no efficiency in the teaching process and rationalization must be carried out here,” said Mendi Qyra, mayor of the Municipality of Struga.

According to Qyra, the implementation of this rationalization has also been strongly requested by the Ministry of Education and UNICEF. As Alsat previously reported, the Municipality of Struga’s plan foresees that starting in September, 8 regional primary schools will be closed or put on hold, while students will attend classes at the nearest school. In the next phase, the closure of 4 central primary schools is planned in the villages of Jabllanicë, Drsllajcë, Tatesh and Podgorcë, as well as their merger with other schools. For this proposal to be implemented, the approval of the Municipal Council is required.