With a ceremonial first academic class, today on the plateau in front of the Faculty of Economics at the University “Goce Delcev” – Stip, the academic year 2026/2027 began. Around 1,500 freshmen are starting their higher education at UGD this year, and with the current enrollment of students from abroad, the number is expected to reach around 1,750 newly enrolled students.
The ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia, Hristijan Mickoski, the Mayor of the Municipality of Shtip, Ivan Jordanov, Metropolitan Hilarion of Bregalnica, the Director of the National Agency for European Educational Programs and Mobility, Ana Mihajlov, representatives of the academic community, institutions, students and other guests.
Addressing the new generation of students, the Rector of UGD, Prof. Dr. Dejan Mirakovski, emphasized that it is an honor and privilege for the University that young people have chosen this higher education institution for their academic education.
“We, as a university, are obliged to open the doors to better education, better quality opportunities for the realization of their ideas and for the improvement of the talents that these young people have,” said Rector Mirakovski.
He pointed out that the UGD strives to create as many opportunities for students as possible through participation in projects, mobilities and international cooperation, emphasizing the opportunities offered by the University Alliance, which connects nine universities.
“I hope that this will truly open new perspectives for them, improve the quality of knowledge, they will be able to be part of a much wider family and they will bring all that knowledge here at home, in Macedonia, and we will create it together, we will build a better society for everyone,” Mirakovski emphasized.
Mickoski: You will remember your student years for the rest of your life
The freshmen were also addressed by Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, who at the beginning emphasized that he wanted to speak at the ceremony not only as the Prime Minister, but also as a professor and former student.
He recalled his own first academic class three decades ago, when, as he said, after the exciting high school days, he began a new episode in his life.
“30 years ago, I was like you, a freshman, I had my first university class then and I began a new episode in my life as a student, after I had finished the rather exciting high school days,” said Mickoski.
He told the students that in the years to come they will face challenges, successes and failures, but that the student period will remain an important part of their lives.
“You will have challenges, big downfalls, but I am confident that this story of your life will end successfully. You will remember it for the rest of your life and it will be the basis for you to continue building families that will continue to build our common homeland Macedonia,” the Prime Minister told them.
Mickoski drew a parallel between the time when he began his studies and today’s generation, emphasizing that young people today have opportunities for quick communication and access to a large amount of information through social networks, but also challenges related to their use.
He also spoke to the students about his professional experience abroad. As he pointed out, he spent part of his life in Italy and Germany, where he completed the experimental part of his doctoral studies, and was also a visiting professor at the Technical University of Vienna.
“What always inspired me and was my guiding light in life was my native country, homeland Macedonia. Wherever I went, I returned and knew that I would form my family here and continue my life here,” Mickoski said.
He urged students to use the opportunities offered by their education, to travel, to gain knowledge and experience, and to get to know Europe and the world.
“We educate you to travel, to gain knowledge, to make friends, to travel the world and wherever you have the opportunity, never to turn down that opportunity, but to return home in the end,” the Prime Minister said.
Referring to social networks and the image they create of life abroad, Mickoski urged young people to have their own perception of the challenges they expect.
“What everyone wants to tell you and present to you on social media is not, in essence, real life. Real life is the struggle that awaits you, the struggle for your family and the struggle for your native country, Macedonia,” Mickoski said.
The Prime Minister also sent a message to professors, emphasizing their role in the education and formation of young people.
“Transfer your knowledge to these wonderful young people, and their families in the future, their children, their grandchildren and all that will follow as a challenge in their lives will depend on the knowledge you will pass on to them,” Mickoski told the professors.
He also emphasized their responsibility to be educators and examples for students in the years to come.
“Having the most beautiful job in the world, it should be an honor for you, but also a responsibility, because rarely does anyone have such a responsibility and opportunity in life. My advice and my message to my colleagues, and your professors is: be what you should be, be their educators and their examples,” said the Prime Minister.
At the end of his address, Mickoski wished the new generation successful student years.
“May these years of friendship, acquiring knowledge and learning be successful for you. Be inspired by the beauties of your homeland, Macedonia, work for yourself, for your families and for it, because there is no more beautiful place in the world,” said the Prime Minister.
At the ceremonial first academic class, Ana Mihajlov, Director of the National Agency for European Educational Programs and Mobility, also spoke, urging students to take advantage of the opportunities offered by European educational programs.
She encouraged students to travel, to improve their skills, and through the Erasmus+ program and European university alliances to gain knowledge and experience in the European educational space, which they can then apply in their own country.
“The message is clear – travel, improve their skills, participate in such European projects, because we have the opportunity, even though we are not a member state of the European Union, to participate in the largest and most prestigious program of the European Union,” Mihajlov emphasized.
She also pointed out specific opportunities for students. According to her, there are around 1,000 opportunities available through European university alliances, of which around 250 have been used so far, while through the Erasmus+ program there is an opportunity for around 1,000 students to go to Europe. She also pointed out the total budget of around 4 million euros for all higher education within the program.
“All universities in Macedonia have the opportunity to participate in the Erasmus Plus program,” Mihajlov emphasized.
UGD with a modern digital and European academic environment
Matej Boskovski, student and president of the Student Organization SOMA, spoke about the opportunities from a student perspective, highlighting the digital services of UGD – the E-index, the E-library, student e-mail and other electronic platforms that facilitate everyday studying.
He also pointed out the opportunities through “Erasmus+” and the European University Alliance, through which students can leave the local academic environment and become part of the European educational space.
The new generation with its own dreams and goals
For the new generation of freshmen, the first academic class marks the beginning of a new life and academic chapter.
Ivana Mileva, a freshman at the Faculty of Philology majoring in Macedonian Language and Literature, says that her choice was determined by her long-standing love for the written word, reading and writing.
“Since I was a child, I have had a great love for the written word, for writing and for reading, and that love has been passed down through generations in my family. My goal is to pass on the wealth of our language to the younger generations, because our language has a lot of wealth and needs to be nurtured and passed on,” says Mileva.
With the first academic class, around 1,500 new students begin their studies at the University of Language and Literature, while the enrollment of students from abroad continues. After its completion, the number of newly enrolled freshmen is expected to reach around 1,750.
The new academic year brings new challenges and opportunities for students, but also a new generation of young people who will develop their knowledge, talents and ambitions in the academic environment of the University “Goce Delcev” – Stip in the coming years.
