The rehabilitation of the primary and secondary schools in Janja damaged by the floods in May and August 2014 is in full swing thanks to EU assistance. Interior restoration works are being finalised, outdoor carpentry replaced and premises cleaned up.
“We are happy that despite heavy rains and the re-flooding that hit us in August, we have managed to put in function certain parts of the school and began with classes on 1 September,“ says Nada Golijanin, Director of the Secondary Vocational School Janja, where 460 students are enrolled this year.
The heaviest damage to the school infrastructure occurred in the boiler-room, which is the source of heating for both schools and more than 1,500 students.
“We are looking forward to having the heating system in place. The weather is so unpredictable and we simply cannot know with certainty when we will need it,” adds Director Golijanin.
The reconstruction of the underground boiler room has been a time-consuming process.
“We needed to dry out the premises first to allow for the refurbishing process to kick off,” explains UNDP engineer Božidar Semiz, adding “This is now finalised, and we have moved into dismantling every piece of the equipment to ensure their proper functioning. Our objective is to have everything ready in the first week of October.”
The rehabilitation works are financed by the European Union’s Floods Recovery Programme. “The schools in Janja are among 90 educational institutions we are rehabilitating through the Programme, including refurbishment of 200 classrooms,” said Andy McGuffie, Spokesperson of the EU Delegation to BiH/EU Special Representative Office.
The Floods Recovery Programme is worth 43.52 million Euro, out of which EU co-finances 42.24 million Euro to help affected communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Programme is implemented by UNDP, UNICEF and IOM.
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