Skopje, 24 November 2025 (MIA) — President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova awarded Monday the Boris Trajkovski scholarships for 2025-26 to 20 students to attend City College, University of York's Europe Campus in Thessaloniki, Greece.

Each student received a scholarship covering the tuition fee of EUR 14,890, paid half by the Ministry of Education and Science and half by the City College of Thessaloniki under a cooperation agreement between the President, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Boris Trajkovski Foundation and the City College of Thessaloniki.

In her remarks at the event, President Siljanovska Davkova said the country was facing an enormous brain drain, with educated young people leaving in large numbers; and without intelligent people, she added, there was no political, cultural or scientific elite that would be an agent for change and democracy.

The president said the country needed to implement reforms that would keep young people from leaving or attract them to come back. "We know that one of the main reasons that our most talented young people are leaving is their own need to create values, to acheive success not through connections, privileges or patronage, but only and only through their hard-earned knowledge, qualities and abilities," she said.

Siljanovska Davkova also said the scholarships were "another pebble in the mosaic of sincere trust between Macedonian and Greek society" and encouraged the recipients to apply their new knowledge, skills and contacts not only to their career decisions but also to improvements to "the country that invests in you by granting you scholarships."

"This way you will contribute to it and to the community," she said.

"Let us not forget that for Aristotle, the ultimate goal of the political community of the state is the good life, and the good life, in turn, is dedicated to serving the prosperity of the community," the head of state said.

Recalling that the Boris Trajkovski Scholarship Program was founded 22 years ago, Minister of Education and Science Vesna Janevska wished this year's recipients good luck and success.

"I believe in your success, as all of you have not come this far without enough enthusiasm and effort," she said. 

"This scholarship comes as a recognition of your perseverance, talent and potential you carry within. It is an incentive to keep taking brave steps forward," Janevska said, encouraging the Boris Trajkovski scholars "to do research, create, learn and cross the boundaries of possibilities."

She also told them to remember, when they tossed their graduation caps in the air, where they had come from and who had supported them on the path to that success.

"Remember that your country Macedonia supported you and return the favor by investing your knowledge into it," she said. 

"When you invest your knowledge into your homeland, not only are you building a better country but also you are building a better future for you, for us and for everyone who will come after us," she said, adding that the state would keep increasing funding for education, science and research.

City College principal Yannis Ververidis said the University of York ranked among the best universities in the world and had an advanced academic program implemented together with the University of Strasbourg.

"This is a program that will provide you with a broader educational experience, which will change what you know and the way you learn, the way you think and act as well as your lives and your future by developing new abilities," he said.

Ververidis, too, paraphrased Aristotle. "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit," he said, adding that this was the City College's aim, "to prepare students to strive for excellence in everything they do." 

"Our goal is to offer you a unique international educational experience that will help you make a difference in society, the economy, your country and the entire region by contributing to the common good," Ververidis said. mr/