The Municipality of Delchevo has decided to temporarily suspend the operation of four branch schools in the villages of Gabrovo, Zvegor, Stamer and Virche. The decision was made due to the drastic decrease in the number of pupils, but also due to the high costs of maintaining the schools.
At a session on Friday, the Council of the Municipality of Delchevo put the branch schools operating within the “Vancho Prke” and “Kliment Ohridski” primary schools on hold. According to the municipality, the decision follows a developed optimization plan and analysis made in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science (MES).
The financial aspect is another reason for this decision. According to data from the Municipality of Delchevo, the operation of these branch schools costs the two parent schools about five million denars each annually. At the same time, the number of pupils in the municipality is continuously decreasing.
Data from the education program of the Municipality of Delchevo show that in the 2025/2026 school year, a total of 1,236 pupils studied in the municipality, which is 145 students less compared to the 2022/2023 school year. The decline is particularly pronounced in secondary education, where the number of pupils dropped from 390 to 304 in just two years.
The number of children who are sitting at school desks for the first time is also decreasing. In the 2025/2026 school year, 111 first-graders were enrolled in the two primary schools in Delčevo. In 2022, their number was 115, while in 2015 there were 142 first-graders in the municipality.
The situation in Delchevo is part of a broader demographic trend in the eastern region. According to data from the State Statistics Office (SSO), in the Eastern region in 2024, 936 live births were registered, compared to 1,974 deaths, which means a natural increase of minus 1,038 inhabitants.
