Moldovan education ministry to ensure continuity of teaching process on quarantine period

Chisinau, 23 March /MOLDPRES/ - The Education, Culture and Research Ministry (MECC) will ensure the didactic continuity, so that the COVID-19 crisis triggers minimal losses in this respect, a MECC state secretary, Natalia Griu, has told MOLDPRES.    

The official noted that, on the quarantine period, the leaders of the education institutions of all levels, public and private ones, would organize the distance education process by the use of information and communication technologies.   

„For this, normative documents have been worked out, more decisions were taken, which will facilitate the emerged situation both for teachers and managers, as well as for parents and pupils. It is about the Methodology on the continuation of the distance education process in conditions of quarantine for the primary education institutions, gymnasiums and lyceums, the framework Regulation on the organization of the vocational education on the period when access to institutions is restricted, framework recommendations on the organization of the teaching activities in the online system in the higher education institutions, on the period of suspension of the education process in classrooms,’’ Natalia Griu said.    

The state secretary at the Education Ministry also informed that three online free of charge platforms would be used for a good work and implementation of these documents; she also said decision-makers had enforced a programme on the training ‘’in cascade’’ of teachers, who, for their part, will operate with pupils. ‘’In fact, we encourage the use of any resources, which can be for the use of the education process and brings value added for carrying out the syllabus on this complicated period,’’ Griu noted.   

In this respect, the Education Ministry’s official warned that the online classes were indicated for all education stages, except for the one of primary education. ‘’In this case, we rely more on parents, avoiding children’s exposing to the online space. This means that the teachers, preponderantly through parents, will convey tasks, will monitor the fulfillment, will come up with the needed advice, explanations and recommendations, the children being protected,’’ Natalia Griu told MOLDPRES.

The official referred also to the pupils of the 9th and 12th forms, who have to take national exams. ‘’Teachers know that, in these forms, the second half of the year is more for recapitulation. i.e. everything which should have been learned, has been taught already. Or, if the quarantine did not begin, then these forms should have entered the period of pre-testings,’’ Natalia Griu said.   

At the same time, Griu said that, as for the children without material possibilities to make online classes, the recovery would be organized immediately the education process is resumed in classrooms. ‘’No child, no matter the possibilities and the material condition in the family, will suffer,’’ the MECC representative said.  

Also, the state secretary specified that the Education Ministry had on its agenda also plans and actions dealing with the psychological support for children on the quarantine period, as well as for the continuity of the education process in the pre-school institutions. ‘’These activities are quite necessary, as many children go with difficulty through the period of isolation and are subjected to more unpleasant states. Inter alia, a green line will be created, which will be cared by psychologists, including school ones. At the same time, we will also come up with recommendations for the early education, as on the last period, we have been focused more on pupils; yet, the small children also need a syllabus adapted to the present state of things,’’ the official noted.    

„We do not know how much this situation will last; yet, by maintaining the permanent contact between the authorities, schools, teachers, pupils and parents, we will be able to get out of the emerged situation well. While correlating all syllabi and decisions of the ministry, with a responsible attitude on behalf of all actors involved, we will fit the school year, and some institutions might just have nothing to recover. The distance teaching requires additional efforts and work; therefore, we should be aware of the fact that the teachers are in the first line of fighting COVID-19 and they deserve applauses; yet, the results of their work are still to be seen afterwards,’’ Natalia Griu added.   

The pre-school children, pupils and students from Moldova have been in quarantine regime since 11 March. Once the education process was suspended, more education institutions and teachers launched online teaching courses, with special attention paid to the disciplines due to be included in the national exams.