President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova awarded the “Engineering Ring 2025” to 14 most successful students, graduates of engineering faculties at the “Ss. Cyril and Methodius” – Skopje, “St. Clement of Ohrid” – Bitola, “Goce Delchev” – Stip universities and the State University in Tetovo.
The ceremony was held on the plateau in front of the church “St. Clement and Panteleimon” – Plaoshnik, in Ohrid.
The winners of the “Engineering Ring 2025” from UKIM – Skopje this year are: Frosina Stankovska – Faculty of Architecture, Marko Gjorgjioski – Faculty of Civil Engineering, Haritina Sakova – Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Vaska Zarkovska – Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, Sara Ackovska – Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Food, Dimitar Peshevski – Faculty of Information Sciences and Computer Engineering, Kiril Hristovski – Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Tea Kostadinova – Faculty of Furniture and Interior Design and Technologies, Renata Pavleska – Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies.
Students awarded with the “Engineering Ring” 2025 from UKLO – Bitola are: Katerina Stojkoska – Faculty of Technology and Sofi Gajtanovska – Faculty of Information and Computer Technologies.
From UGD Stip, the award winners are: Sara Paneva – Faculty of Natural and Technical Sciences and Bojana Taseva – Faculty of Informatics.
From the State Technical University of Macedonia, the award was given to Gzim Dervishi – Faculty of Applied Sciences.
For the President, engineering personifies unbreakable bond with the mind, knowledge, research spirit, dedication, perseverance, competitiveness.
Siljanovska-Davkova, congratulating the winners on the prestigious award, emphasized the importance of continuous support for education and science, as the best social investment.
She reaffirmed the need for a developmental educational policy, compatible with the regional and European, aimed at our integration into the European research sphere and affirmation on the international research market.
According to her, only educated and competent people in political and management positions can understand and support science.
Andrej Lepavcov, President of the Engineering Institution of Macedonia, told the best engineers to see in the ring not only recognition, but also an obligation and challenge for greater knowledge and higher standards of quality.
“Our duty is to support you at every stage of your professional career. We will be here to connect you with the industry, to help you continue your academic paths,” he said, emphasizing that the institution he heads will encourage them to get involved in creating the country’s engineering policy.
Kristinka Culak, President of the Chamber of Certified Architects and Certified Engineers, encouraged the awardees to be curious, courageous, dedicated and persistent on their future scientific path.
“Wherever life takes you, I wish you to be aware of where you come from and always take care of your native country”, Culak told them, adding that the country hopes for their professional support.
The “Engineering Ring” event is held under the patronage of the President of the country, and organized by the “Engineering Institution of Macedonia” and the “Chamber of Certified Architects and Certified Engineers.”
Below is the integral address of President Siljanovska-Davkova:
Dear attendees,
Respected laureates,
I think there is no better space for promoting the best in engineering than this one, where the University of Clement was founded. The reason lies in the fact that our churches have a tradition of church-school communities. Imagine a city with 365 churches, i.e. with 365 school communities. That is why I think that the University of Plaoshnik should be built as soon as possible.
The ring is not just a decoration, but it means a bond to something very important. It means loyalty, it means dedication, it means love. I am sure that this ring means a lot in your life, but also in ours.
When I accepted to be the patron of such an event, such as the Engineer’s Ring, I felt a great honor. Awarding rings to the most successful students in engineering disciplines is not only satisfaction and compensation for your work, for young engineers, nor is it just an incentive to continue on the path of science and further improvement, but that act, at least for me, means a reminder of the human potential we have, and there is nothing more valuable than it, we are just not always aware of it. We are obliged to create additional conditions for your advancement, of course, at home, it is not by chance that we are born somewhere. Everyone has only one homeland, says Bernard Shaw, wherever you go, you return in the end. Fortunately, today with digitalization and artificial intelligence, you can be here at the same time. Go, compete, prove yourself, but come back. It is pointless for me to talk about the significance of engineering professions because you not only shape the present but, we all know that you shape the future, too.
You are the ones who move the world, and we, the state, educational and scientific institutions, the business community, civil society organizations, are obliged to help you realize what you possess, the most valuable thing, knowledge.
Let me say a word or two about the “Engineering” magazine itself, and not only about it, but also about the dedication of the Engineering Institution of Macedonia. Yes, so far you have been a wind, sometimes stronger, sometimes milder, but always blowing at the back of Macedonian engineering. You are a kind of engineering mirror, an engineering messenger, a scientific educator. Therefore, I encourage you to continue to gather more engineering associations under that wonderful umbrella, to continue contributing to the development of engineering, by investing, not only in knowledge, but, as you have already said, in integrity, in professionalism, in knowledge, in dignity, in morality, in ethics.
I assure you that in me and in my Cabinet you have a sincere supporter and partner, and I believe that this is also the case with all other relevant institutions. I would like to wish you to continue to follow your dreams, but also to realize your ideas, visions, always knowing that coming from a seemingly small country does not mean that you cannot have big ideas. This has been proven many times. You are applying and have a European educational record, you are the conceptual creators and drivers of the modern European and global technological world, you are the future technological leaders. Education and science are not just a professorial, research and student obligation. Their scope, quality and reach are the result of the interaction between education, science, politics and society. That is why we need a coordinated, responsible and developmental educational policy. It is not possible to retain the best and most promising without an appropriate, above all, reformed financial policy, friendly to the best and respectful of the best quality.
The Copenhagen criteria, i.e. European standards, must find a place and application in the financing of higher education and scientific institutions. We must step up on the relevant higher education lists, where we are not, instead of falling, through re-examination, i.e. re-accreditation and re-evaluation of the educational network. We must concentrate on the neutral, objective approach, based on evidence and facts, and not on a one-party background that produces educational and scientific mimicry instead of valid education and science.
We need European criteria for building an academic career. Intensive regional and European scientific cooperation, integration into the European research sphere and affirmation of the international educational and scientific market. We must follow the successful model of our neighbors. Both as individuals and as a community, I think we believe, at least I believe in your knowledge, skills, creativity. I am convinced that you do not lack humanism, nobility and patriotism. Create a modern, advanced, but, above all, a moral and smarter world. The IT industry is continuously flourishing and growing. Fortunately, its popularity among young people is also growing, and that makes me happy. In order to have a digital future, we need a strategy on how to keep you, the digital youth here at home – the ring is not enough. Or, how can we be in constant contact, integrating you as a permanent segment of social development.
We must more boldly increase support for scientific research. We must modernize the scientific infrastructure, that is, laboratory equipment, facilitate access to databases, stimulate fundamental research. Scientific research must always be supported by reliable finances. Our scientists from the diaspora can be a bridge to world science, therefore they will receive a well-deserved place in the Diaspora Council, which will be constituted soon.
I am convinced, as my students were very impressed by the socio-utopians and I asked them why: They say that not only were they rich people, but they were also very smart, they emphasized science, but also ethics and morality. They gave up their wealth to create cities in the sun, phalanxes… that is that moral dimension.
That is why I am very impressed by Saint-Simon’s position, when he says that the key to progress and development is science and that without 10 kings or emperors, the world might not have become much worse, but without 10 scientists it would have seriously felt it. Even in Plato’s ideal state, governance was tied to philosophers, to knowledge, to ability, to wisdom. Furthermore, there were even views according to which Isaac Newton was equal to a saint, and there was talk of a scientific religion, that is how much people believed in science.
I also wish for a meritocracy in addition to democracy. I especially wish for meritocracy in the administration because it sometimes makes the key decisions. I wish for meritocracy in activities of general interest. I wish for competition for all positions. I wish for a transparent selection procedure, I wish for accountability. I firmly believe that only learned people can understand and support science and scientists like you – bearers of precious engineering rings. Keep them.
Thank you.
