North Macedonia faces a significant challenge retaining its young population. A 2026 survey found that more than three-quarters of students in the country are considering leaving, driven largely by concerns about quality of life and the difficulty of finding work that matches their qualifications. Against this backdrop, one online platform is giving students a structured way to report their grievances and push for accountability.
From dormitory memes to civic advocacy
Goshe Nikolov launched an Instagram page called Studentarija in 2017 while he was a student living in a dormitory in Skopje. It began as a space for humour and relatable content, but gradually evolved into something more substantive. By the time of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, students were regularly sending messages about real difficulties they were facing, and Nikolov began using the platform to raise those issues publicly. Today, the page has more than 65,000 followers — a notable figure given that North Macedonia has approximately 53,000 enrolled students. Nikolov now runs Studentarija with a team of three.
A digital tool for anonymous reporting
With support from a grant provided through the Digital Democracy Initiative, the Studentarija team launched a separate online platform called Digital Student Voice in April of the current year. It allows students across the country to submit reports anonymously, selecting from categories that include:
- Discrimination
- Scholarships and textbooks
- General student issues
- Transport
Reports received so far have highlighted poor living conditions in student dormitories, delays in state payments to students, unfair treatment by academic staff, and problems with urban transport. In one notable case, students at a dormitory in the city of Ohrid reported spending several days without electricity or adequate food. After Studentarija publicised the situation, mainstream media picked up the story, and the dormitory’s director subsequently resigned. The team has also contacted institutions including the Ministry of Education and Science and the national parliament.
Nikolov has said the volume of problems uncovered since the platform launched has exceeded his expectations, and that his team intends to continue pressing for institutional change. While Studentarija is not formally registered as a civil society organisation, its work now spans media, activism and advocacy on behalf of students in North Macedonia.
This article is adapted from “Students air their frustrations anonymously online as emigration tempts many young people in North Macedonia” published by Global Voices, licensed under CC BY 3.0. Changes were made. Read the original story at the link above.
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