Renovation of Nikola Karev student dorm in Ohrid on hold; students relocated to MIA resort
Work that was to start in July has not begun; students relocated to an MIA resort now cover daily travel costs to faculties.
The long-promised full renovation of the Nikola Karev student dormitory in Ohrid has not started despite announcements that work would begin in July; on the ground the building remains unchanged as November approaches.
Students moved to MIA resort, face daily transport costs
Residents of the dorm were temporarily relocated to the Ministry of Internal Affairs' children's resort in the Sveti Stefan neighborhood. The move solved immediate housing and meal needs but created a new set of practical problems: students now travel daily to faculties in central Ohrid and must cover the cost of minibuses or private transport out of their own pockets.
According to the students, the main reason for the delay is still unresolved: authorities are searching for a suitable storage space to transfer the dorm's inventory before renovation can begin.
"We have accommodation and food there but we are 5.6 km away from the city. We are forced to pay for transport ourselves, to chase minibuses to get to faculty. We constantly ask where the reconstruction is but no one says anything concrete. Last they told me they are still looking for a warehouse to move the inventory from there and that's where it stayed," said a representative of the dorm's students.
Milena Stojanovska, director of the Nikola Karev dorm, said the institution is struggling with accumulated financial and staffing problems, which have also delayed employees' salaries. "As the new director of the dorm I face major problems of financial, staffing and every other kind. For the situation I found I immediately informed the competent authorities and held a meeting with the Minister of Education to overcome it. At the moment we are in a specific situation due to the renovation phase and the temporary accommodation in the MIA facility. The problems are large, and there is an ongoing procedure to amend the law to save the dorm in every possible way. I, as director, together with the employees, am doing everything in our power, but we are in an extremely difficult financial and staffing situation. We expect help from the Ministry of Education and Science and the Government, which has already been announced to us," Stojanovska said.
Authorities have yet to provide an official timeline for when renovation work will begin; the Ministry of Education and Science is expected to issue a response. Before the relocation, the dorm had also faced intermittent electricity cuts due to unpaid bills, highlighting the need for a thorough overhaul and systemic changes in how the facility is managed.
Photo: press material from the event
