The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov, addressed the Conference: Entrepreneurship in the Educational Process in the Republic of Macedonia, held today under his auspices, aimed at strengthening the entrepreneurial education and contributing to the development of entrepreneurial capacities and entrepreneurship awareness.

Esteemed Professors,
Excellencies,
Ministers,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the outset, I would like to extend my gratitude and express my satisfaction with the honor you have given me, to be the patron of this event, which will discuss the importance of entrepreneurship in the educational process. I believe that this gathering and all other activities undertaken during this traditional Week of Entrepreneurship, slowly but surely, contribute to building a new generation of Macedonian entrepreneurs, foundation on which the Macedonian economy will be based.

Distinguished Guests,

We are especially pleased and proud that this year, as a country, we have started to feel the results of the continuous economic policy, of the measures taken by the Government to improve the business climate and the working conditions. As a country, we already have established a long-term macroeconomic stability with low inflation rate which in averaged is 2% in the last 10 years. We have balanced public finances with low budget deficit, stable exchange rate and low public debt, which is less than 26% of gross domestic product.

Our efforts were acknowledged in the latest World Bank Report “Doing Business 2012”, ranking Macedonia on the 22nd position, being one of the three economies with rapid growth rate for this year. Also we have reached this year high annual growth of the gross domestic product of 5.3%.

The engine of the economic growth is the private sector, while pillar and driving force of the private sector are the entrepreneurs. But still, to have a sustainable economic growth, it is necessary to create innovative and entrepreneurial society. Entrepreneurial society is a society based on creativity, innovation and risk taking, leading to implementation of new and bold ideas. Implementation of such ideas will open up avenues for new industries, increase the technological productivity, and thus generate sustainable and long-term economic growth.

If we really want to have successful investment and encourage innovation in the economy, we should introduce entrepreneurship education into the mainstream of teaching and learning. To do that, we should first promote new approaches to the education in the twenty-first century.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is time to create future for the youth and youth for the future. I believe that knowledge, innovation and entrepreneurship are the three pillars on which we need to build both the future and the youth. It is time to educate young people, who have plenty of innovative energy, capable to create new ideas out of that energy and apply them in practice. It is time to prepare the youth to be able to face the three challenges of entrepreneurship: to confront risks, stress and their own ego. It is time to prepare self-confident leaders with a clear vision for the future, able to face competition, and thus be successful in business entrepreneurship.

Only with such an educated youth we can preserve the societal dynamics, having the entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship as source.

The answers to our problems and aspirations are in our immediate vicinity. They exist in our laboratories and our universities, in our fields and our factories, in the imagination of our entrepreneurs and the pride of the diligent workers.

Out of these reasons, the innovative and entrepreneurial spirit should be encouraged at the earliest age, built during the secondary education and advanced in the higher education. Our educational institutions should be at the heart of our society and economy. They, in addition to the educational and scientific component, should be a source of entrepreneurship, compatible with the trends in the labor market and help the economy of the state.

Distinguished Guests,

The primary principle to be a successful entrepreneur lies not in “knowing everything” but in the will “to apply the acquired knowledge”. What makes entrepreneurs successful is their ability to overcome difficulties with ease, their ceaseless curiosity, constant desire for research, persistence in pursuit of innovation, and their self-confidence. As Goethe said, the entrepreneur knows that: “If he believes in himself, others will believe in him as well”.

Entrepreneurs embody the promise of the future, the knowledge that if you have a good idea if you are willing to work hard to see that idea realized, you can succeed in this country. In the fulfillment of this promise, entrepreneurs play a key role in expanding our economy and creating new jobs.

At the end, I will quote the first article of the “Constitution of Entrepreneurship”. This is a saying of the adamant entrepreneur, the great Michelangelo, at the age of 87: “Ancora Imparo” or “I am still learning”. This saying should guide us in our lives. Our formal education system should rely exactly on this. Life-long learning. It is this philosophy that will pave the path for entrepreneurial learning in Macedonia.

Thank you.