The first steps to develop media skills among secondary school and lyceum students are taken in the Republic of Moldova. This is done optionally and the teachers develop both digital skills and media skills after attending specialized courses, with the curriculum being adjusted to the permanent changes taking place in the information space, shows the study to assess the media skills and media literacy level among young people in the Republic of Moldova that was carried out by the Center for Education and Community Development (CECD), IPN reports.
CEDC researcher Victoria Bevziuc, one of the authors of the study, in a news conference at IPN said that an instrument to measure the potential to resist fake news in society was developed in the European states. This is the Media Literacy Index. The Media Literacy Index 2021 covers 35 countries and is topped by Finland with 78 points. Demark ranks second with 73 points.
“The Republic of Moldova is not present in these rankings. But the experience of Finland in this field would be beneficial to our county as the Republic of Moldova takes the first steps in media education at lyceums by introducing the optional subject “Media Education”,” stated Victoria Bevziuc.
According to the researcher, emphasis on the education of citizens should be placed since school. In 2017-2021, almost 12,000 students of primary and secondary schools and lyceums studied at least optionally “Media Education” and each year at least one school in the Republic of Moldova approves the given course. This way, the number of persons who are informed and media literacy grow.
Almost all the teachers who teach “Media Education” were trained through the agency of the Independent Journalism Center. “In the school education plan of the Republic of Moldova, there is a very good selection between optional courses as the students can choose one optional course from a list of over 80 optional courses for everyone. The fact that the optional course “Media Education” offers information support is an important competitive advantage,” stated the researcher.
The study to assess the media skills and media literacy level among young people in the Republic of Moldova covered a sample of over 1,500 young people. 64% of them were aged between 16 and 20, while 24% were aged between 21 and 25. About 56% of those polled are from cities. The data were collected during February 20– March 25.
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