KS Government Negligent Towards Student Center, Director Resigning, Students Suffer

By Amra Vrabac

The JU Student Center Sarajevo could be left without a director, and this week the KS Assembly discussed it with Prime Minister Nihad Uk.

Responding to a deputy's question, Uk stated on Wednesday that he had unofficial and unconfirmed information that director Dovadžija had resigned.

However, Student Center director Amar Dovadžija has not yet resigned, but he is expected to make a final decision next week.
According to Patria's information, Dovadžija is dissatisfied with the founder's attitude, which is Sarajevo Canton, 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, but the Government has paid KM 320,000. Discussions with the Government regarding further financial obligations are ongoing.

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

Although students are the future of our country, and their numbers are decreasing every year, the authorities in Sarajevo Canton have not invested in improving the quality of life in student dormitories for years.

Outdated equipment, poor installations, and accumulated debts were also what director Dovadžija encountered. However, without significant financial resources, the situation will not change.

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 part of the pavilion in Bjelave, but there is still a lot of work to be done. Isn't it shameful that students do not have hot water in the dormitories, which they highlight as one of the primary problems in their statements.

The KS Government has not acted strategically regarding the issue of students, even though it is committed to young people staying in BiH. Students from other cantons reside in the student dormitories, but the KS Government and Sarajevo should be good hosts. After all, numerous students have chosen Sarajevo for their studies.

Instead of finding co-financing for the renovation of the Nedžarići and Bjelave dormitories, which will benefit all future generations, the KS Government is preoccupied with purchasing a helicopter, for which it has allocated tens of millions of marks.

This week, the new KS Government was confirmed. A new minister for higher education, science, and youth, Adna Mesihović, was also elected. One of the first problems to address is the living conditions of students in the Student Center. The frustration of students, as well as director Dovadžija's, is completely justified, and the ball is now in the court of the Sarajevo Canton Government.