Transportation company in Gračanica/Graçanicë, which operates in the Serbian government’s system, appeared to be unprepared for the start of the new school year, because school buses which are meant to transport students from villages to schools in central Kosovo are not registered. Buses which used to transport students are now parked at parking lots. Due to this situation schools in central Kosovo are attended by the half of usual number of students. Schools are ready but there are no students.

Helena Jošić from village Kuzmin says that her school is ten kilometers away from the village. “Our parents are taking us to school, buses are not running for a three days now,” says Jošić.

“10 to 20 per cent of students are attending classes, because 80 per cent of students are using school buses,” explained director of the Economic School Zivorad Lazic.

Transportation company’s director was not available to answer questions with regard to responsibility for such situation.

The Mayor of Gračanica/Graçanicë Municipality Branimir Stojanović says that Pristina could also show some good will in order to accelerate the solution. “However, it is obvious that registration procedure was probably not carried out as requested. What is important at the moment is that transportation resumes,” said Stojanović and added that eventual control with regard to procedure over registration could be investigated.

Kosovo Ministry of Education stated that they were misguided, because the transportation company has convinced them that they are ready for the start of the school season. Until the situation with unregistered school buses is not resolved, problems will be settled by the temporary engagement of another transportation company.