The role of education for peace and sustainable development was raised at a conference in Chisinau in connection with the International Day of Education. Deputy mayor Angela Kutasevich said that, given that armed conflicts and dangers that were previously foreign are now more common, given the war at the border, we understand how valuable peace is. It is important to talk to the growing generations about tolerance, friendship, interpersonal relationships that must be based on mutual respect, help and goodwill, the deputy mayor stated in the opening of the conference, IPN reports.
The conference gathered together a number of experts, including international ones, who will present the role of education for humanity and treat the changes expected to influence the education system, such as artificial intelligence, but also other aspects that need to be thought about more intensively. All presentations made in the event will come to support teachers from Chisinau and also managers in promoting change, in promoting transformation to ensure a sustainable education system.
“When we talk about learning, most probably we refer to what happens in classrooms, in school curricula. When we talk about education, we refer to a much wider range of values, attitudes, about the ”seven years from home”, about how we behave towards each other, and this is probably much more important for us, for society, for the entire humanity because being an educated person means living in community, interacting with each other and doing nice things together,” said the head of the General Division of Education, Youth and Sports Andrei Pavaloi.
UNICEF is one of the most important international partners of the General Division of Education, Youth and Sport. This organization supports a range of educational projects for all levels of education. Cornelia Cincilei, director of the educational program Step by Step (long-term partner with UNICEF in promoting child-centered education), said that UNICEF’s role has been very important since the first months of the humanitarian crisis experienced by Ukraine. “UNICEF was the one that responded to the needs of families with children who came to Moldova and we know that Chisinau had the largest number of refugees and that’s why rapid action was required to ensure early education programs, but also at programs at other levels. Here, too, the municipality supported many initiatives both through centers for children and young people and through centers for refugees, but it was also necessary to create special spaces, such as the one we identified inside “Licurici Theater, which became a magnet for many families with refugee children,” said the director of Step by Step program.
Secretary of State of North Carolina in the U.S. Elaine Marshall delivered a virtual message at the event. The partnership between educational institutions of Moldova and North Carolina has been active since 2016. Together with the General Division of Education, Youth and Sports, North Carolina has supported schools to meet the challenges of the digital age. Over 100 schools and libraries in Moldova benefited from book donations. “It is important to celebrate the International Day of Education launched by UNESCO. This day is an opportunity to emphasize the value of peace and sustainable development.” “This year a priority for UNESCO is to combat hate speech, while the role of teachers is extremely important. The violent messages that are distributed through social media and the mass media can have a devastating effect on the societies we live in,” said Elaine Marshall said.
In September 2020, Chisinau City, alongside another 54 cities in 27 countries, became part of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities.
