40 kindergartens will be repaired within Education Ministry project

The Ministry of Education launched a new project aimed at creating conditions for early education of a high quality for children of preschool age. The US$4.4 million grant is provided by the International Organization “Global Partnership for Education” and will be used during 20 months, Info-Prim Neo reports. Within the project, there will be rehabilitated about 40 preschool education institutions. Besides the improvement of infrastructure, the kindergartens will be outfitted with books, furniture, teaching aids and toys. The activities of the project are designed to improve access to early education of a high quality for children with special needs that are in situations of increased risk. There will be promoted inclusive education services and opened three community centers for the rehabilitation and integration of children with special needs. There will be designed programs and guidebooks on inclusive education and organized training seminars for teachers and parents. The third component of the project envisions improving the quality of education by training activities for teachers and managers of preschool institutions. There will be instructed university lecturers who prepare specialists in the area of early education. Teaching aids will be devised, printed and reprinted for the purpose. The project is implemented in partnership with the World Bank and UNICEF. Attending the conference, UNICEF Representative in Moldova Alexandra Yuster said that this project will have triple results. “It will help ensure the observance of all the children’s rights of to education and development, will contribute to calming down the parents, who will be sure that their children are in a place where they form as personalities, and will stimulate Moldova’s development,” she stated. “We are convinced that the Government of Moldova fully assumed the commitment to provide education of a high quality to children. Nowadays, when statistics show that only one in three parents read to their children and more than half of the families do not have books for children at home, we should not expect that the children will acquire knowledge only at school.” The Global Partnership for Education Project is a continuation of the Education for All – Fast-Track Initiative Project that was implemented by the Ministry of Education with the US$8.8 million grant provided by the Catalytic Fund. Within the project, there were renovated 65 kindergartens, created 36 early development community centers and outfitted 510 kindergartens. According to the Ministry of Education, the child enrolment rate at preschool institutions has increased to 91.9% in towns and 66.1% in villages.