Some info on Gjilan

Gjilan municipality (like a state within the nation) is located 47 kilometers southeast of Prishtina on a fertile plain with good agricultural conditions. The municipality covers an area of 515 km² and consists of 63 villages.

In four villages there is a mixed population of Kosovo Albanians and Kosovo Serbs. Nine villages are exclusively inhabited by Kosovo Serbs, while one village has a Turkish population. Kosovo Albanians, Turks, Roma (gypsies), and Kosovo Serbs inhabit the center of the city.

At present, the total population of the Gjilan municipality is approximately 130,000 persons while the population of the city of Gjilan is about 80,000.

Economy
As in the rest of Kosovo, the economic situation is dominated by high unemployment. All major companies were formerly state run and Kosovo Trust Agency (KTA) has been tasked with resolving ownership issues.

Private entrepreneurship is expanding. 90% of the small-scale economic activity is restaurants, shops and import agencies whereas only 10% is devoted to local production activities. There are about 2,500 small, registered private businesses with 5,000 employees. UNCA, OSCE, KFOR and other international actors are among the major employers in the municipality.

Infrastructure
Gjilan did not suffer as much damage as other parts of Kosovo during the 1999 conflict and therefore most of the infrastructure is intact with the exception of a few. Nevertheless, years of negligence, lack of maintenance, and antagonism between the rural and urban area, have caused damage to the infrastructure in the municipality.

The traffic network is underdeveloped and roads are in poor condition. Heavy traffic with trucks and KFOR transports adds to the chaotic traffic situation and worsens road conditions. There is one company that provides road maintenance and KFOR completed a ring road project around the city that helps to lessen heavy traffic in town. In addition to the transportation enterprise there are a number of private bus lines and taxis that provide transport.

The water supply is insufficient as it covers about 8% Gjilan residents. There is only one water supplier, which is in urgent need of rehabilitation (the Swiss government and ICRC have made large investments). There is one waste collection facility that serves about 60% of the municipality. The collection of garbage is regular, although there are some difficulties due to lack of trucks and equipment. EAR have built a modern garbage site in the municipality, which should alleviate some of the problems. KTA is in the process of merging municipal water and waste companies, hoping to make the services more efficient. This is expected to take place by 2004.

Health
The Regional Hospital is based in Gjilan, and has 8 departments with a total of 435 beds. The Hospital employs 552 staff members (incl. two Kosovo Turks and one Kosovo Serb). In addition there is a Health Center with 326 staff members (251 Kosovo Albanian, 60 Kosovo Serbs, 11 Turks and 2 Roma), that provide primary and secondary services to the population through a network of 12 Ambulances and 17 smaller clinics. There are two psychiatric institutions (so called Protected House and Daily Care). The closest institution for the elderly and disabled is in Pristina.

Education
There are 22 Kosovo Albanian primary schools with 18,792 pupils (incl. 96 Kosovo Turks) in the municipality and 15 Kosovo Serb primary schools with 21,708 pupils, as well as a Roma school attended by 65 pupils. There are also seven Kosovo Albanian high schools with 4,437 students and six Kosovo Serb high schools with 886 students. The five Roma secondary school students attend a Kosovo Serb school.

The total number of employees within the educational system of Gjilan is

1, 578 (81% Kosovo Albanian and 19% Kosovo Serb). Salaries have been paid by UNMIK since January 2002.

Due to the lack of school space, the Kosovo Albanian schools have three shifts a day. The average size of a Kosovo Albanian class is above 30. At university level, there is a Faculty for Teachers named Skënderbeu, which is a branch of Pristina University. It is not handled by municipal authorities but financed by the Ministry for Education, Science and Technology.

In general, the school buildings are in poor condition (many made worse by the earthquake of April 2002). Efforts have been made by international NGO's to fund refurbishment and reconstruction of schools in the area. However, there are still a great number of schools that need reconstruction.