Education gaps in Macedonia are significant and pose major stumbling blocks to reducing unemployment, advancing the economy, and fostering social cohesion. While producing basic literacy, the main problems facing education in Macedonia are increasing relevance and quality to face 21st Century challenges. Due to this, Education is a big priority for the Government of Macedonia and USAID, as the lack of employable skills substantially hinders economic growth and threatens Macedonia’s prospects for EU membership.
Since 2001, USAID has been implementing programs addressing all levels of the education system from pre-school to university. These programs have focused on six key areas: 1) strengthening students` core skills and critical thinking, 2) equipping over 10,000 teachers with modern methods, 3) provide older students with practical business skills, 4) increasing access to Information and Communication Technology (ICT), including activities that earned Macedonia the title “First Wireless Country in the World”, 5) providing educational support to disadvantaged Roma students, and 6) establishing South East European University, the first multi-ethnic, multi-lingual university in the region.
Current education assistance is targeted to: expand access to quality Basic Education, particularly for the disadvantaged Roma population; prepare youth for the modern-day workforce through enhanced technical, entrepreneurial and career education; equip teachers with improved teaching skills; continue to improve school learning environments through energy-efficient renovations; strengthen problem solving and critical thinking skills; and increase access to and the use of information technologies in schools.
Below, you will find detailed information about our projects. Please feel free to contact us directly with any questions or comments!
Education Office Director: LeAnna Marr e-mail: lmarr@usaid.gov
EDU Team:
Lela Jakovlevska: ljakovlevska@usaid.gov
Natasha Buleska : nbuleska@usaid.gov Siena Fleischer
SFleischer@usaid.gov
Ongoing projects
USAID's programs to increase citizen participation in political and social decision-making are:
USAID Interethnic Integration in Education Project
USAID Youth Employability Skills Network Activity
USAID Equal Access For Equal Opportunities
USAID Primary Education Project
Completed projects
Human And Institutional Development Program
Creative Teaching and Learning Project
e-Schools
Secondary Education Activity
Macedonia Connects
SEEU/Higher Education Linkage Project
