Kindergarten at Tochila Settlement in Prilep Should be Finished as soon as possible to Receive the Interested Children

The citizens of Prilep have sent messages to the decision makers in the city regarding the importance of fulfilling their promises given during the election campaign, but also during the practicing of power in the year that passed. Via the innovative initiative “Inform Yourself – Act for Changes!” which is implemented by the association Multimedia Press, they have especially referred to the construction and putting in use the kindergarten in Tochila settlement in Prilep.

The workshop that took place on 20 December 2022 at the city library “Borka Taleski” in Prilep was attended by 18 citizens. They were informed, they debated, asked question sand expressed their views about resolving the problem with this very important facility for the citizens. The participants spoke in general about the importance of having children in the kindergarten, and then also about resolving the problem with lack of accommodation for taking care of preschool children. Part of these questions were discussed by Eleonora Kostovska Jovanoska, an expert in early child development. Multimedia Press wants to mobilize the community in the municipality and strengthen the civic awareness for initiating political responsibility and transparency of the local authorities on this issue. The completion of the kindergarten in Tochila settlement in Prilep was an election promise of the current local government and it has been included in the Development Programme and Budget for 2022. “In Prilep a kindergarten is being built after 40 years, and more than 200 children are on the waiting list for Our Future kindergarten every year. The completion of the kindergarten was initially projected for 110 million denars, and not it reached the price of 133 million denars and it is not functional yet”, said Elizabeta Filiposka from Multimedia Press association.

The citizens asked when the kindergarten at Tochila settlement in Prilep would become functional. “We don’t want the new kindergarten at Tochila settlement to become yet another ‘monument’ like other building in the city which are not functional. We ask that the promise is implemented and that the children are taken care of,” said Liljana Gjorgjioska. “The decision makers in the local community and the political players that aspire to come to power should offer real projects that could be implemented with the municipal budget that they have available”, said Goce Blazheski.

At the workshop “Mobilizing the Community to Initiative Completion of the Kindergarten in Tochila Settlement in Prilep” there were directions prepared to make an on-line petition which will act towards the local government to implement this election promise. Irena Sterjoska Lokvenec, who is a Deputy Mayor, Member of the Municipal Council and a President of the Committee for Financing, Budget and Local Economic Development at the Municipal Council of Prilep answered the questions of the participants.

The implementation of this workshop is enabled by the project Support to Electoral Reforms in North Macedonia of the Swiss Government, implemented by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (ИФЕС), while the grants are administered by the Macedonian Center for International Support (MCIC).