Mayor promises free Wi-Fi to students in schools

The restoration of the intellectual elite must be the main priority of the national education system during the next 10-20 years, Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca said at the yearly conference of Chisinau teachers held at the National Opera House on August 20, Info-Prim Neo reports. Speaking about the support offered by the municipal authorities to the education system, the mayor mentioned the preservation of the increment of 20% to salaries despite the large budget deficit (a sum of 50 million lei is needed for the purpose), the allocation of 23 million lei for preparing the education institutions for the new school year, the financing of the students’ summer vacation (30 million lei, as against 23 million lei in 2008), the provision of financial school assistance to vulnerable families (about 4.6 million lei). Among the objectives for the 2009-2010 school year, Dorin Chirtoaca enumerated the implementation of a project of the local public administration to connect all the municipal high schools to free Wi-Fi Internet and the creation of an electronic library for teachers and students. The needs of the education system are about 70% covered with money from the municipal budget. The other money is allocated by public parent associations, Info-Prim Neo informs, quoting the yearly report of the General Division of Education, Youth and Sport.