May the 17th, 2024 – New Osijek demographic measures are set to provide hope for further renewal for this eastern Croatian city.
Slavonia, Baranja and eastern Croatia as a whole have always been the most heavily dogged by demographic issues, and with a newly blossoming IT scene in Osijek, the time is now to make sure as many stay there as possible.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, some brand new Osijek demographic measures are hoping to breathe a lease of life into the city. One of the most promising measures is intended for 7,200 students of its elementary schools, worth 1.2 million euros. There are several more measures also being carefully prepared, the aim of which is to make the city a desirable and competitive place to live, as the Osijek City Administration reported this week.
At the related press conference, Osijek Mayor Ivan Radić said that the new measures include free school workbooks, atlases, maps for art education and boxes for technical education. All of these will be on the desks of elementary school students attending school in Osijek this autumn, more specifically at the beginning of the new academic year.
He stated that this will significantly relieve the household budgets of parents because. In the typical household budget of a family with one child attending the 1st grade of primary school in Osijek, this will result in savings of 68.90 euros.
For a family with two children attending the 5th and 8th grade of elementary school in Osijek, the savings for the household budget will amount to 379.30 euros, Mayor Radić added.
Among the most important Osijek demographic measures set to be introduced over the coming period, the mayor pointed out the construction of three new kindergartens and the extension of two existing ones. Those projects carry a total value of 6.5 million euros, and they’ll work to ensure enrolment in Osijek’s kindergartens for more than 400 children.
As additional Osijek demographic measures, he mentioned the construction of a central kitchen for kindergartens and primary schools, which will make Osijek the first and only city in Croatia to have it. In addition, there will be an extension of the primary schools in Osijek to facilitate the switch to all-day classes.
Radić also recalled the Osijek demographic measures that have already been implemented. Those include this year’s increase in the amount of compensation for each newborn child to 350 euros, which is 30 percent more compared to last year.
“By reorganising the existing spaces, we secured 500 additional kindergarten places compared to 2021, which is equivalent to the construction of five new kindergartens. Back in 2021, Osijek had 246 female educators, today there are 361. We’ve also enrolled all children over the age of four in our kindergartens, as well as all children who have two working parents,” the Osijek mayor revealed.
He explained that budget allocations for kindergartens have also been increased, which amounted to 5.5 million euros in 2021. At the moment, they’re at the level of 9.5 million euros. By the end of May, there will be a proposal to increase this sum to 11.6 million euros through financial restructuring.
The city administration believes that the new Osijek demographic measures are also rather heavily influenced by economic indicators. Those indicators across the wider Osijek area show growth.
