Education represents the societal dynamics, which is why it is crucial to modernise the way we transmit fundamental knowledge. Although the content remains constant, children’s cognitive capacities have changed. These aspects were highlighted by the former Minister of Education of Romania Daniel Funeriu, doctor of chemical sciences. The relationship between the school and the family must be one of cooperation and mutual respect, the teacher said at the Romania – Republic of Moldova Education Forum that was attended by teachers, school principals and heads of education divisions from both banks of the Prut River, IPN reports.

According to Daniel Funeriu, it was excessively emphasized that education is a public service – an assertion that doesn’t reflect the reality. “Learning is the role of school. Education and training are the role of families,” he said. The former Romanian minister went on to stress that missions that do not fall within their competence should not be placed on the shoulders of schools and teachers.

Moldova State University rector Igor Sharov said that the education forum brings together representatives from the education sectors of Romania and the Republic of Moldova to discuss the challenges and opportunities offered by the education ecosystem in the era of digitization. “We live in an age where technology has revolutionized almost every aspect of our lives, and education is no exception. Digitalization has transformed the way we learn and teach, providing new tools and resources to improve the learning process and make education more accessible, more efficient,” stated the rector. Igor Sharov also said that the master program “Artificial Intelligence and Data Science” will be introduced on September 1, 2024 thanks to the counterparts from Romania, who helped train teachers at the Moldova State University. The support from Romania is enormous.

State Secretary of the Department for Relations with Moldova Adrian Dupu said that without education, there can be no developed society. “We don’t see any future either for Romania or for the Republic of Moldova without an educated society. Quality education doesn’t mean only well-trained teachers, but also means quality infrastructure because, no matter how hard we and the students try, it is very hard without the necessary equipment and infrastructure. That’s why we also focus on quality infrastructure for education, and also on the training of students and teachers,” stated Adrian Dupu.

State Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Research Valentina Olaru mentioned the satisfaction deriving from the exchange of good ideas and practices. “The union is ensured through ideas, through our classes, when we aim to have crossborder projects and joint projects,” said the functionary.

The fourth edition of the forum proposes an agenda of plenary sessions, workshops, masterclasses, a thematic debate and professional dialogues. During two days, the event will involve over 250 professors from the university and pre-university communities, specialists and practitioners from the Republic of Moldova and Romania.

The project “Romania – Republic of Moldova Education Forum” is funded by the Department for Relations with the Republic of Moldova.