Mickoski offers students a 4,500-denar monthly meal allowance, for food only through an app

North Macedonia's Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski on Thursday proposed raising students' monthly meal allowance to 4,500 denars, from about 3,500 denars currently paid on debit cards, Portalb reports. The proposal was made at a meeting with representatives of student parliaments from the country's universities, attended also by Education and Science Minister Vesna Janevska.

Food only, with a digital filter

Under the proposal, the funds could be spent only on food, through a new “M-Student Meal” feature in the state M-Services app. Students could buy only at restaurants, markets and venues on an approved list, while the app would use artificial intelligence to block purchases such as alcohol and cigarettes.

Once students spend the monthly amount, some venues would offer discounts of 20% to 25%. As an example, a 100-denar meal would cost 75 denars with a 25% discount.

The ball is in the students' court

The proposal has not yet been approved and has no start date. The government is awaiting the student representatives' response at a future meeting, while Janevska said she believes a solution will be found soon. The meeting also discussed dormitory conditions, their construction and renovation, and the campus of Mother Teresa University.

Mickoski claimed that students' living standards improved between 2022 and 2026. He acknowledged that Germany still has better standards but said the gap has narrowed. He also recalled that the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje ranked higher on the Shanghai list about 20 years ago.