For the second time, the Step by Step Foundation - Macedonia organized the "Speech4Teach-Inspiration for Education" event, as part of the USAID "Readers are Leaders" Project. On November 1 in Skopje, more than 250 participants (teachers, parents, education policy makers, international community, NGO sector, and the media) joined for a session of inspirational talks shared by selected speakers in the role of teachers, parents, children’s authors and professors. Among the speakers who shared their stories on stage was Gorast Cvetkovski, a famous Macedonian actor. He spoke about his role as a parent of two young children and the challenges of raising them in the era of technology and digitalization.

Some of the topics tackled in this year’s inspirational talks were the boundaries of the inclusive education, the possible ways of restructuring teacher pre-service training, the role of the parents in today’s digital world and the standards of a quality children’s literature. A group of Grade 5 students shared with the audience their perspectives and points of view on what a good teacher should be like and what kind of teachers they would be if that is what they decide to do when they grow up.  The talks are aimed at inspiring and stimulating the audience to rethink and discuss around important education issues and look at these issues and ideas from a different point of view, as offered by the inspirational speakers. 

A special added value to this event was contributed by a group of teachers who are members of the learning communities from several primary schools in Macedonia. They presented their portfolios and posters of their development work with the aim to advance their pedagogical work and share experience with their peer-teachers from across the country.

The event was officially launched by the Director of the Bureau for Development of Education of the Republic of Macedonia, USAID Country Representative and Suzana Kirandziska, Executive Director of the Step by Step Macedonia Foundation.