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.