Around 80 civic education teachers, school psychologists and school deputy directors were introduced to techniques to develop positive attitudes and abilities in multi-ethnic classrooms with Roma pupils, in line with Council of Europe standards and relevant European best practices. The training activity was organized on 12-14 April by the Council of Europe project “Education for Democracy in the Republic of Moldova” in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research and the German Embassy in Chisinau, IPN reports.
Angela Ganninger, Ambassador of Germany to the Republic of Moldova, stressed that during the ongoing German Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Germany strives to work on upholding human rights, democracy and the rule of law, on shaping the future in this respect with a focus on new technologies and on bringing Europe closer to the people.
“This workshop provided teachers and school psychologists with an excellent opportunity to examine the German experience and to work on relevant issues like communication and the inter-ethnic perception”, Ambassador Ganninger added, being quoted in a press release.
William Massolin, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Chisinau, highlighted that access to quality education is a key part of the Council of Europe Strategic Action Plan for Roma and Traveller Inclusion (2020-2025). This recognizes the crucial role that education plays in breaking the cycle of marginalization and exclusion that many Roma still face.
“The Council of Europe has been working very hard in ensuring quality inclusive education, mainly through our Education Department, which has devised policies and tools that can be used. I would mention in particular the Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture, which includes 20 competences for life in democratic and diverse societies”, William Massolin added.
The project “Education for Democracy in the Republic of Moldova” is implemented by the Council of Europe and is financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in the framework of “Moldova: Fostering Active Civic Engagement” Program.
