Tetovo, 23 March 2026 (MIA) — The 5-million-euro overhaul of Mosha Pijade Regional Center Vocational Education and Training has been completed, with officials marking the end of reconstruction works Monday. 

Funded by the state budget and the European Union, the project renovated five buildings at the Tetovo campus. Upgrades included energy-efficient facades, new roofs and improved accessibility for people with disabilities.

Minister of Education and Science Vesna Janevska said the project was part of the national reform agenda to establish eight regional vocational centers by 2027. Seven centers have been established so far, with three fully renovated.

"The old buildings Tetovo residents remember," Janevska said, recalling their run-down state before the renovation, "have been transformed into modern premises equipped with new IT and electromechanical equipment."

She said the better learning conditions would raise the quality of instruction, as well.

EU Ambassador Michalis Rokas said there was no better investment than in education. He pointed out that the EU was proud to support "the country and in its sustainable growth and development." 

Rokas also called the project a prime example of using public and EU funds to modernize failing infrastructure.

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski and Tetovo Mayor Bilall Kasami also attended the event. 

"The government will continue to support this kind of projects and we will do everything in our power to make this kind of projects our daily life," Mickoski said.

He added that the government was currently working with the municipality to build two additional high schools in the city.

Kasami urged residents to view the facility not just as an "agricultural school," but as "one of the most important and most developed regional centers for professional education in the country," designed to prepare students directly for the labor market.

Enrolling more than 1,000 students and employing 150 teachers, the Mosha Pijade center offers training in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, tourism, agriculture, transport and logistics. mr/