The "Miladin Popovic" Elementary School in Bostane struggling after the dinar ban; workers are distressed

The "Miladin Popovic" Elementary School in Bostane, in the Kosovsko Pomoravlje region, is struggling after the Central Bank of Kosovo decided to end transactions in dinars, the director of this educational institution, Zivko Zivkovic, stated for Kosovo Online, explaining that they were facing difficulties in obtaining material resources and that about 40 employees were distressed because they could not withdraw their salaries in Kosovo.

The "Miladin Popovic" Elementary School in Bostane, near Novo Brdo, has 37 students, and director Zivko Zivkovic warns of the challenging conditions they are facing after the decision to end transactions in dinars.

"It is truly very difficult, we have major problems. Workers are unable to withdraw their salaries in Kosovo and Metohija, they have to cross an administrative border, travel to Bujanovac, Vranje, which is really burdensome for all of us, considering that we work here until 2:00 PM, then people have to start that long journey. It is not easy, considering the situation here, that the dinar is becoming less and less circulated. People don't have immediate access to financial resources when they are deposited into their accounts, and this truly makes life difficult for all of us," Zivkovic said.

He emphasizes that, in his opinion, the decision of institutions in Pristina regarding the dinar is one of the most difficult since 1999, and he doesn't know how they will continue to function.

"We also have a problem with the functioning of the school itself because we also receive material resources in dinars. Around the whole process of obtaining material resources, the functioning of the school, we truly have enormous difficulties, and as time passes and the problem is not resolved, this problem becomes more pronounced. I hope that maybe there will be some solution, but considering how it has been so far with institutions in Pristina and how their government has behaved, we don't really harbor hope that it will be resolved. We are trying on our own and seeking solutions, but the situation is truly difficult," Zivkovic said.

The head of accounting, Igor Vasic, says that the decision of the Central Bank of Kosovo directly affects people's livelihoods.

"The decision affects every kind of financing, even here with us, look, we don't have funds for hygiene, salaries for workers, people have to travel 30, 50, or 100 kilometers to withdraw their salary. This is a direct attack on the livelihood of every normal person because when you distance someone's sole source of income by 100 kilometers, you create additional costs, additional problems for ensuring their livelihood, and you haven't provided them with employment or financing in any way, you're literally leaving the people in a lurch," Vasic said.