Two Shtip kindergartens merge into one legal entity

By decision of the Council of the Municipality of Shtip, the kindergartens "Vera Ciriviri Trena" and "Astibo", which until now were separate legal entities, will merge and operate as a single legal entity. Instead of the previous 14 members in the two boards of directors, the new joint board will count seven members.

The municipality says that daily services for children will not change

Mayor Ivan Jordanov reassured parents that the transformation is administrative and will not change the location where children attend kindergarten. "This is only an administrative merger of the two kindergartens. That means there will not be two directors, two boards of directors, two accountants or two kitchens as before, but one of each. With this rationalization the primary goal will be achieved – optimization of the overall operation of the single legal entity and a significant reduction of operational costs," Jordanov said.

He added that none of the currently employed staff will lose their jobs. The medium-term strategy is, as he noted, for some employees to meet the conditions for retirement, after which reorganization and redistribution of positions will be carried out instead of hiring new people; the goal is to increase productivity and provide higher-quality care for the children.

The decision on the change of status — namely the annexation of the Astibo kindergarten to Vera Ciriviri Trena — was adopted at the Council session held on 30 July; only opposition councilors did not support it. Galaba Veresa of the SDSM council group said that "all this is being done to cover up the irregularities in the operation of the Astibo kindergarten by the former director, which the mayor publicly reported a month ago."

The new director, Ivana Angelichkova (who previously headed "Vera Ciriviri Trena"), explained that the new legal entity will bear the name of the older kindergarten, while "Astibo" will retain its name as a separate operational unit (a branch) and will operate together with the other five existing branches. "We are already preparing for the transformation. The new staffing structure is being devised, for which the Council of the Municipality of Shtip must give the green light, and the guidelines and recommendations of the Ministry of Social Policy, Demography and Youth will be followed and respected. The staffing structure will include a total of 230 employees from the two kindergartens, which care for 1,200 children, including pupils from first to third grade with full-day attendance," Angelichkova emphasized.

The new legal entity will start in the autumn with the same care fee of 2,000 denars per child. Whether economic conditions will necessitate a minimal increase will be decided by the Council in coordination with the relevant Ministry and the new seven-member board. The previous 14 members of the two boards of directors received a flat fee of 1,000 denars for each meeting held.

Photo: SDK.MK)