The high school “Miti Zaka” in Divjakë is nothing like the school where its 500 students used to take classes. Following an 86 million ALL investment, the building has been completely restructured. Prime Minister Edi Rama and Minister of Education Lindita Nikolla visited this school and talked with future graduates about the new university application system.

“The system should serve the best, and I am very happy that after 25 years, we transformed it into a system that serves the best performers, and that today guarantees one thing for everybody: everything is in their hands. In nobody else’s hands. Neither in the hands of their friends, nor of the party’s or of the money’s”, the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister assured that this system has proven to be functional, and all the quotas allocated to higher education will be met.

“The fact that even here in Divjake 55 students won in the first round, and they could choose what they wanted, means that the system is working. Just as, nobody who deserves to go to university and who meets the criteria, will be denied this right because those who won in the first round, among the 10, or 9 or 8 branches of study took actually just one place. And the places taken are just 5 thousand and some. All the other places are vacant, and candidates can run for them in the second round. There is no third round, but the system has envisaged a red line that goes down automatically. Therefore, all the quotas available will be met.”

In addition, with this system being implemented for the first time this year, students won’t be obliged any longer to choose the mandatory subject since the first year. This problem, the Prime Minister said, will be addressed with the reform of the high school.

“With the reform of the high school, the system will be corrected. In the meantime, roll up your sleeves because next year you are going to face a State Matura exam and an application that are not easy”, the Prime Minister noted.

The reform of high school, Minister Nikolla said, will relieve students from the overload, in addition to orienting them towards the subjects they like.

“This is a reform that will provide you new opportunities to find yourselves in the subjects taught in high school. You will not be overloaded, and will have the opportunity to orient your career towards the subject you like the most”.

The school reconstruction has included interior premises, classrooms, laboratories, as well as outdoor playgrounds, the gym, sports fields and the amphitheatre. The peculiarity of the design of the outdoor premises is that they have been conceived as a palace of sports, which will also serve as a community centre. The 200 children of the kindergarten of Divjake will spend the day in newly reconstructed premises. To help working mothers, the kindergarten will also provide the lunch service.

The 700 students of another school, “Koli Sako”, will benefit of a new gym that will be open to the community also after class hours. These investments amount to 60 million ALL.

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Despite being just a few kilometres away from the Adriatic coastline, Divjake never had the look of a coastal town. But this has changed upon the completion of the project for the comprehensive urban revitalization. Works have begun for the requalification of the central square of the city, the construction of the bicycle lane, of the park and of the lighting system. The value of the investment amounts approximately to 186 million ALL. The works include the construction of a roundabout at the main intersections of the city, and the rehabilitation of the underground infrastructure.

Following another investment of 46 million ALL, the promenade Pishaj-Divjake will connect the central square to the Karavasta National Park. The 2 kilometre-long promenade, with the green belt along its length and some resting places equipped with benches, have turned it into a touristic road heading to the Karavasta Lagoon, one of the most beautiful natural parks in the area and in the country.

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Another significant investment in Divjake, the first since the early 70s, has begun in the electrical network. OSHEE (The Operator of the Power Distribution) is replacing the existing electrical cabins with new ones that record and keep track of power electronically. The energy meters are directly connected to these cabins in order to avoid potential abuses by billers. Prime Minister Edi Rama visited one of the sites where replacements are being made, and was informed on the progress of this investment. “There have been only wooden poles since the time of electrification, back in the 70s. In the area of Divjake, the last 15 cabins will be ready by December”, OSHEE Director for Divjake said.

Another problem that has been solved is the interruption of energy supply due to the overload in the network, which was equipped with only one feeder. This problem was even more concerning during the tourist season. OSHEE has made operative two feeders to provide uninterrupted energy supply. “There was only one feeder, and it created a lot of problems during summer. We managed to have operative two new feeders in order to distribute the load. If one feeder has issues, we use the other one to provide energy to citizens”, OSHEE director explained.