Chinese Government provides grant for Vera Jocik Elementary School Construction Project (Linked to Record ID#42914)

Project narrative

On September 19, 2010, the Vera Jocik elementary school (ООУ Вера Јоциќ) partially burnt down, and planning for its re-construction began shortly thereafter. On July 11, 2012, representatives of the Chinese Embassy in the Republic of Macedonia and representatives of the Macedonian Ministry of Education and Science and Macedonian Secretariat for European Affairs agreed to use a Chinese Government grant to reconstruct the elementary school, which is located in the town of Hipodorom within the municipality of Gazi Baba. In addition to the Chinese Government grant, funds from the Macedonian state budget financed the reconstruction. In 2011, the Government of Macedonia decided to allocate 500,000 denars for construction of a new school building for Vera Jocik and additional 500,000 denars for reconstructing the heating pipelines. The construction was planned to begin in February 2013. On February 25, 2015, the Chinese Ambassador to Macedonia met with Mayor Toni Trajkovski of Gazi Baba to discuss the Chinese Government’s continued involvement in the implementation of the Vera Jocic primary school. According to the local government of Gazi Baba, the Chinese government official had visited the school several times. The meeting resulted in an agreement to intensify cooperation on constructing the school. Then, on April 11, 2016, a delegation from China’s Ministry of Commerce met with the Macedonian Secretary of State for European Affairs to discuss issues related to bilateral cooperation, including the construction of the Vera Jocic primary school. On June 17, 2016, Macedonian Media reported that the school had not yet been completed. On May 30, 2019, the Prime Minister of Macedonia, Zoran Zaev, officially opened the new school building (with 18 classrooms and a library), which occupies an area of 2,125 m^2 and can accommodate 600 students. According to the Macedonian Minister of Education and Science, Arber Ademi, the entire facility cost a total of 60 million Northern Macedonian Denars. On the same day, Minister Ademi, announced the start of construction on a multi-functional gym for the school covering 650 m^2. On October 7, 2019, the school's multi-functional gym was completed, ending all construction work on the school.