Skopje, 12 October 2022 (MIA) – Deputy Prime Minister in charge of good governance policies Slavica Grkovska met Wednesday with representatives from the faculties in the field of information and communication technologies in the country, with whom she discussed challenges in the process of digital transformation of society. Deputy PM Grkovska assessed at the meeting that the staff coming from these faculties will be the key bearer of this process and therefore it is important that these faculties are actively involved in the creation of digitization solutions, her Office said in a press release. For this purpose, she explained, the National Council for Digital Transformation of Society was formed, including, among others, representatives from these faculties. Grkovska emphasized that the Council would discuss all open issues, including the need for centralization and standardization of the systems of all institutions. The issue of the staff drainage and the ways to retain IT professionals in the country was also discussed, as well as finding a model that will ensure their retention in the public sector, while their work is properly valued. The meeting, attended by representatives of the four IT faculties in the country - Faculty of Information Sciences and Computer Engineering within the "St. Cyril and Methodius" University - Skopje, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies within "St. Cyril and Methodius" University - Skopje, Faculty of Information and Communication Technologies within University "St. Clement of Ohrid" - Bitola, and the Faculty of Computer Technology and Information Technology within American College – Skopje, also focused on the opportunity for students to attend a free educational program, in cooperation with the private sector, intended for educational institutions of all degrees, with the aim of developing skills, knowledge, and innovations in informatics. dk/ik/