The 35 national schools that will participate in the national project “Network of Model Schools”, launched by the Ministry of Education and Research (MER), were announced. These schools will be renovated and equipped with everything they need to ensure the quality of the process of study and compliance with the highest standards in the field. At the first stage, 10 educational institutions will be modernized, IPN reports.

”We decided to invest in creating these poles of attraction in each district to serve as a destination especially for students from very small institutions. We will invest in infrastructure - a factor that allows the educational process to be organized to the highest standards. But it is the teachers, directors of educational institutions, the way processes are organized in the institution, the availability of teaching aids and many other aspects that transform this community into a performing one that matters the most,” Minister Dan Perciun said in the launch of the Network of Model Schools.

Carolina Odobescu, Senior Operations/Portfolio Coordinator at the World Bank, noted that the project to improve the quality of education will support systemic changes that also promote digitalization practices of the sector to build its resilience. “We stand by the Government of the Republic of Moldova through financial support, but also through technical assistance and analytical activities, providing help to the country in improving the learning environment in the participating institutions,” said Carolina Odobescu.

“Such reforms are very difficult, especially in the educational sector that is very close to the citizens. The EU stands by the MER and other partners in this difficult process,” said Magdalena Mueller-Uri, Head of Operations Section of the European Union Delegation to the Republic of Moldova.

Daniela Gasparikova, UNDP Resident Representative in the Republic of Moldova, noted that this initiative has the potential to improve the quality of education and thus contribute to sustainable and inclusive development.

For her part, Maha Damaj, UNICEF Country Representative in the Republic of Moldova, said that there are big differences between the performance of students in smaller, rural schools and those in larger, urban schools, as it was demonstrated by the results of the program’s tests for international student assessment. “Approximately 64% of 15-year-old students in rural schools scored lower in science and reading, compared to 46% of the national average. We hope the model schools will show a way to potentially improve these scores by adopting and adapting standards of good practice in learning and teaching,” stated Maha Damaj.

When selecting the schools, the number of students studying in institutions and places available to receive students from other localities were taken into account. The investments needed to create the Network of 35 Model Schools amount to €70 million, with €14.5 million having been identified so far.