Amar Dovadžija's resignation accepted: Student Center without a director, student living conditions must be urgently improved

(Patria) - KS Prime Minister Nihad Uk confirmed this morning on Jutro za sve on BHRT that the resignation of the Director of the JU Student Center, Amar Dovadžija, has been accepted.

Dovadžija was dissatisfied with the founder's attitude, and that is Canton Sarajevo, towards this institution. According to the founding act, the KS Government is obliged to provide 43 percent of the funds, which amounts to KM 1,950,000, while the Government has paid KM 320,000. After student protests were held by students housed in the Bjelave and Nedžarići dormitories due to the conditions they live in, the relevant ministry allocated KM 1.2 million for the Student Center. The contract with Minister Adna Mesihović was signed by Dovadžija on January 23. Dovadžija also supported the student protests.

In less than two years, the Government of Canton Sarajevo and the relevant ministry have provided the JU Student Center Sarajevo with financial support exceeding KM 7 million, of which a total of KM 4.5 million was paid to settle tax debt obligations.

Minister Mesihović has been at the head of the Ministry since November 15, and after visiting the institution and reviewing the situation, she formed an expert working group tasked with proposing long-term solutions for the operation, sustainability, and improvement of business at the JU Student Center Sarajevo, based on the current situation, as well as solutions for the problems faced by students using the Center.

The relevant ministry emphasizes the importance that one of the members of this working group is the president of the Student Association of the JU Student Center Sarajevo, who will delegate the priorities recognized by the students as most significant to the Government and the Ministry.

Since the arrival of Director Dovadžija in July 2021, the number of employees has decreased to 193. The debt at that time amounted to KM 13.5 million. The Student Center accommodates 1,200 students in Bjelave and Nedžarići.

In November 2022, thanks to foreign donors who provided the majority of the funds, the building in Nedžarići was renovated. The works included thermal insulation of the facade, replacement of worn-out windows and doors, installation of energy-efficient lighting, and improvement of the heating system. Such a project had been awaited for 27 years.

The Student Center managed to reconstruct a part of the pavilions in Bjelave, but there is still a lot of work to be done.

It is a disgrace that students do not have hot water in the dormitories or fear that the ceiling will fall on their heads due to poor installations and leaking water.

The KS Government has not acted strategically on the issue of students, although it is committed to the stay of young people in BiH. Students from other cantons reside in the student dormitories, but the KS Government and Sarajevo should be good hosts. This is because numerous students have chosen Sarajevo for their studies.