Skopje, 27 December 2024 (MIA) - The government will decide on Tuesday at its regular session to sign an agreement for the funds secured under the Ministry of Education and Science’s budget for subsidizing public transport for students, ensuring the uninterrupted continuation of the measure from January, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said Friday.

“The funds have been secured in the Ministry of Education and Science’s budget for the next year, and at the regular government session on Tuesday, December 31, after discussing with the Minister, we will make a decision to sign an agreement, enabling the immediate transfer of funds to Skopje's Public Transport Enterprise (JSP) so students can use public transport in Skopje starting in January,” said Mickoski, responding to a journalist's question after attending the presentation of the Ministry of Interior’s work results.

Mickoski earlier announced the option of reallocating funds to ensure free public transport for students.

“The previous government neither allocated these funds nor signed an agreement. I believe the amount is 120 million denars for the next year. This is far from what JSP needs, but we stepped in when it was necessary to provide fuel so that buses could operate properly and transport passengers,” Mickoski said.

The Student Assembly of St. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje previously issued an appeal to the government and the Ministry of Education and Science, urging them at the government session to allow the reallocation of funds to continue providing free transportation for students in 2025.

Photo: MIA archive