School should be student's best friend

The school must become the student's best friend. Such an objective is proposed by the Chisinau teachers who will come together for the traditional yearly conference on August 20. The teachers will sum up the results achieved the last school year and outline the plans for the next year. They will also formulate the main problems worrying them and will submit them to the local and central authorities, Info-Prim Neo reports. Thirteen workshops on different areas started work on August 16. Their conclusion will be presented at the conference and taken into account during the new school year. “Emphasis has been until now laid on the quality of the education process. In the future, effort will be made for the school not only to provide quality eduction, but also to become the student's best friend,” said the head of the General Division of Education, Youth and Sport Tatiana Nagnibeda-Tverdohleb. “The teacher's conference is themed “Management of Change in the Context of the Child-Friendly School”. The problems that will be discussed there can be solved only if every teacher assumes responsibility.” Tatiana Nagnibeda-Tverdohleb considers such a methodological change is inevitable in the present situation. “The objectives for the 2010-2011academic year include developing school programs aimed at defending the rights and freedoms of the child, respecting human dignity, and treating the child as a major element in the education process,” she said. The teachers say the objectives can be achieved only if the state provides the necessary support, including financial. This year, the authorities plan to spend about 5,000 lei on the education of a child. “This sum is insufficient, buy we hope the central and local public authorities will examine our requests and increase financing for education institutions,” Tatiana Nagnibeda-Tverdohleb said. The teachers also expect that their salaries will be raised. In 2009, the average salary of a teacher in Chisinau was about 3,000 lei, by about 400 lei higher than the national average salary. The Chisinau Municipal Council this year could not provide the bonus of 20% to the salary as the previous years, but offered every teacher 130 lei in financial assistance. The Government promised teachers' salaries will be increased by 12.5% from January 1, 2011 and from September 1, 2011.