The European projects have significantly contributed to the modernization of the school and university infrastructure in the Republic of Moldova. Through funding and expertise, the European Union has supported the renovation of buildings, equipping of laboratories and creation of modern learning spaces. In this connection, the European Union recognized the importance of education in the Republic of Moldova and intervened through various programs and funding initiatives, aiming not only to improve the current conditions, but also to create a sustainable framework for the future development of the education system. The participants in IPN’s public debate “Quality education in the Republic of Moldova, the role of European projects. Context and impact”, discussed the benefits and opportunities in this direction.

Ludmila Pavlov, deputy secretary general of Ministry of Education and Research, argued that the education system is the basis of a society and develops human capital. Since the declaration of the independence of the Republic of Moldova, education has enjoyed permanent support from European states to carry out reforms in the system. Thus, the Republic of Moldova has benefited from EU support in the education sector since the early 1990s. This demonstrates that education in Moldova has always been connected to the EU requirements and mechanisms.

“Moreover, along with the Government’s efforts to develop the education sector, we were assisted by our European partners that offered us methodological and financial support to achieve those objectives and desiderata we set for education. In this regard, the European Union was and is the most important and credible partner of the Republic of Moldova. When we talk about the EU, we talk not only about our relationship with the European Commission, the projects that come directly from the Commission, but we also talk about the bilateral cooperation with the EU member states. We had very important support from Romania, Poland, Germany, Italy, Portugal. All countries support us in the process of modernizing education in the Republic of Moldova,” said Ludmila Pavlov.

The official noted that the anchoring of Moldova into the European education space is ensured at all levels of study. Also, European projects are implemented in the field of research. “In many cases, on the dimension of university education, we initiated efforts and reforms in the early 2000s, which produced results for the situation in which we are now. I am referring here to the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the Bologna Process and practically all the major reforms that we have brought to the university education system by adopting this process have been supported by European projects. Starting with 1993, we had the Tempus projects and then the Erasmus+ project followed since 2004. In fact, through these projects we have implemented in higher education all the objectives of the European process of study. When we talk about education, the process never stops. It is always in continuous progress and transformation. It is good to strengthen particular educational dimensions, especially by taking advantage of the benefits of European projects,” said Ludmila Pavlov.

Gennady Rybakov, national coordinator of the “Francophone Bilingual Classes” project, believes that a strong education system can be built only by combining the efforts of all actors in the field, but also with the unconditional support of the European member states.

“The support for education thanks to European Union projects is valuable for the education system of Moldova especially since today, all areas are digitized and teachers, the educational institutions must adapt on the fly. There is no other way. Because globalization with all its aspects swallows you up if you don’t know how to adapt,” stated Gennady Rybakov.

According to the national coordinator of the project “Francophone Bilingual Classes”, as the Republic of Moldova set the adjustment of educational norms to the European ones as a country objective, representatives of the Ministry of Education, teachers, students must fully benefit from European partnerships and programs that contribute to the sustainability of education in Moldova. “Since we aspire to the European values and ideals, but also to integration into the EU, of course these projects coming from the European Union strengthen our desire. Moreover, I would say that we integrated long ago because these European projects in education come to change mentalities, attitudes, teaching visions, to improve the quality of teaching, to equip educational institutions according to European standards, to initiate long-term partnerships. The fact that actors from outside the education system support European projects in the education sector matters a lot. We do not see something like this. There is a gap between the school environment, the university environment and the labor market and thanks to European projects we are working on this aspect,” stated Genady Rybakov.

Olga Balmuș, manager of the program “Class of the Future in Your School”, physics teacher at “Petre Ștefănucă: Theoretical Lyceum in Ialoveni, said that the development partners’ support is a guarantee of quality and efficiency of the educational process. “The high school I come from is fully aligned with the European standards and benefits from a number of EU programs. We have been part of the Class of the Future Project since 2019. Thanks to this project supported by the Government of the UK, Sweden and USAID, we have benefited from training, which helped us understand the need to implement digital technology in the teaching-learning process,” said Olga Balmuș.

She noted that by monitoring the correct application of the educational policies developed by the Ministry of Education and Research, which meet the EU requirements, one can contribute to the continuous training of teachers and the creation of a stimulating work climate similar to that in schools in Europe.

“If we invest in schools, in teachers, we will also have quality in the education system. The programs and projects we are part of contribute essentially to the forging of future destinies. These can be achieved largely thanks to the methodological and technological support of the European states,” noted Olga Balmus.

The public debate entitled “Quality education in the Republic of Moldova, the role of European projects. Context and impact" was the third edition of the project “Benefits of the Republic of Moldova’s accession to the EU for people, community and country”, supported by the Soros Foundation Moldova. The content of this debate does not represent the official position of the Soros Foundation Moldova.