Skopje, 16 April 2026 (MIA) - Addressing a press conference at the Government on a set of laws on higher education and science, currently in government procedure, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said the law on higher education is not being drafted behind closed doors, but through debates with universities, and it is a joint solution with the academic community, which he believes will give results. According to Mickoski, this is not a government's law, and it is not a political, but a state issue, on which the country's future depends, as well as the future of the young people, who currently don't see any quality in the higher education at home.

Speaking at the press conference alongside Minister of Education and Science Vesna Janevska, with the rectors of the seven public universities in attendance, he called for an end to experimentation, pointing out that systemic solutions are needed instead because education is the bedrock of every society.

"For a long time, higher education has sustained major damage because in 2018 a legal solution was adopted that was even worse than the previous one. In recent years, there has not been a single serious evaluation, nor have any solutions been proposed. As a Government, we cannot allow another decade wasted. Today, we have established a true partnership with the academic community and together we are drafting a new law," said Mickoski. 

He stressed that the law on higher education responds to real challenges, and the focus is on retaining young people and building their future and careers here. Among the new developments, he said, is that for the first time, the best students will have priority in employment at public universities, and a new model of financing higher education institutions is being introduced.

Mickoski noted that the budget for the universities is Mden 7.5 billion and it is significantly higher than last year, adding that this trend will continue.

He said the focus will also be on science, support for scientific papers, so that universities can once again be recognized as hubs of excellence and innovation.

Minister Janevska highlighted the advantages of the new law, pointing out that the drafting process included the opinions presented at the debates organized at all universities, with all constructive and reasoned remarks incorporated.

Photo: MIA