Borche Stamenov criticises officials after ministry reports 3,900 fewer first‑graders
The donor behind “Donate a Computer” says the campaign has largely closed the domestic IT gap but warned that falling pupil numbers are a broader policy problem.
Borche Stamenov, the organiser known for the “Donate a Computer” campaign, publicly criticised officials after an announcement that the next school year will open with 3,900 fewer first‑grade pupils.
Stamenov said his initiative has largely removed the shortage of home IT devices identified when they began the drives. He told reporters that, "When we started with the donations, according to information from the Ministry of Education and Science, there were a little over 4,000 families without an IT device. Today we read that this year will start with a minus 3,900 first‑graders. We fulfilled our ‘promise’ (in quotes because we didn’t promise anything). Today there are almost no families left on the list, there are some but rarely. Now our main goal is equipping schools. And those who register will eventually receive equipment. You know, to keep at least those who stayed here."
He stressed that the project's resources are private and that organisers do not rely on state funds or use donations for publicity. "Again, we promise nothing to anyone, we do not spend state money and we do not run after the state on every donation to cut ribbons," he said.
Stamenov also used a sarcastic tone to question the authorities' public portrayals of the country’s economic standing. In a social‑media post he wrote that, "For as long as I have followed politics, we are the first economy in Europe, the world, planet Earth, the Milky Way, the known universe and, indeed, the unknown one, with better wages than at least seven European countries and, according to our officials, we spoon at home soup with golden spoons."
Stamenov pointed out that the original problem his campaign set out to solve — households without an IT device — has narrowed compared with the start of the drive, and that the new challenge is demographic: fewer children enrolling at school. He framed the decline in first‑grade numbers as the result of long‑term policy failures rather than the responsibility of grassroots donors.
The announcement of a drop of 3,900 first‑graders for the coming year, and the campaign’s earlier estimate of just over 4,000 families without devices, were central to Stamenov’s remarks. He called on officials to address structural causes behind the falling enrolment while donor groups concentrate on supplying equipment to schools and remaining families in need.
Photo: press material from the event
