The first-ever high school in Skopje’s municipality of Suto Orizari was officially put into function on Wednesday. Its construction was funded by the Government with EUR 1, 4 million.

The new school building in the municipality, whose inhabitants are predominantly Roma, covers an area of 4,405 square meters and features 12 classrooms, a gym, a reading room and a library.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, Minister of Education and Science Abdulaqim Ademi, deputy ministers Spiro Ristovski and Ibrahim Ibrahimi, Skopje mayor Koce Trajanovski and Suto Orizari municipal mayor Elvis Bajram.

“I’m here once again to mark a historic day for Suto Orizari and to inaugurate the first high school ever built in the municipality,” PM Gruevski said adding the Government had invested utmost efforts for the facility to be completed.

“We were driven by the fact that education is the key towards reducing the unemployment rate and poverty in Suto Orizari. By investing in a new school, we knew we were investing in a better future for the residents of Suto Orizari,” he stated.

In addition to the construction of the new school, this year two elementary schools have also been expanded with auxiliary premises after the Government provided EUR 1, 7 million.

A large sports hall is set to be built in Suto Orizari as of September, PM Gruevski announced mentioning that in the past several years the Government had financed many projects, including the construction of a water supply system, opening of the Roma Information Center, allocation of scholarships for talented high school students, construction of a multi-functioning sports hall, etc.