Poland and the United Nations Development Program will renovate and equip one of the 35 model schools in the Republic of Moldova. The ceremony to sign the agreement on the provision of €1 million in this regard took place in the Government Building on Thursday. According to the implementers, with this investment, the renovation of a school of the network of model schools will begin, which will not only improve the physical infrastructure, but will also create a dynamic and inclusive learning environment, which is in the interests of all students, IPN reports.
Minister of Education and Research Dan Perciun said that the objective is to provide the children with quality education, especially children from rural areas, to enable them to study at institutions that give them the opportunity to realize their full potential. “Our ambition is to create, to begin with, at the level of each district, an educational institution where students benefit from European standards. As part of the same initiative, we also offer transport for these children so that they can travel to these institutions,” stated the minister.
Poland’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Jakub Wisniewski noted that his country is excited to participate in this project. Education means prosperity and human capital for the economy. It is also vital for everyone’s independence and security. “And for this security there is no other way than to protect the minds of those we love most – our children. And by offering them this million, I realize that it is just a drop in the ocean, but any assistance helps. By offering this million, we build Moldovan society’s resilience against hatred, against lies, against injustice,” said the Polish official.
Daniela Gasparikova, UNDP Resident Representative to the Republic of Moldova, said that this partnership between UNDP Moldova, the Polish Government and the Ministry of Education represents a generous contribution to supporting the joint efforts in advancing the quality of education in Moldova. “Education is the foundation on which the country’s well-being is based. It empowers people, transforms communities and reforms them. We are proud to be part of the initiative regarding the model school network of the Ministry of Education. The project comes to establish new standards in education throughout the Republic of Moldova. Today’s contribution comes to support the implementation of the initiative and complements investments from other development partners, such as the European Union” said the UNDP Moldova representative.
The 35 general education institutions of the country, one from each district, are to be totally renovated and equipped with everything necessary to ensure the quality of studies and compliance with the highest standards in the field. It goes to investments in infrastructure, modernization of educational content, state-of-the-art digital equipment, high-performance classrooms and laboratories, sports fields, transport, free food, etc. According to the Ministry of Education, a number of criteria were taken into account when selecting the schools, including the number of students studying in these institutions – at least 500 students - and availability of 200 free places to receive students from other localities.
