Technology
2. Technology laws, policies, plans and regulations
2.1. Education technology legislative and policy framework
2.2. Technology infrastructures, technological capacity of schools and learning environments
2.3. Technology competencies of learners and teachers
3.1. Institutions in charge of technology in education and coordination mechanisms
1. Terminology
The 2014 Education Code of the Republic of Moldova establishes the legal framework for the structure, organisation, operation and development of the education system. It stipulates in article 39 that the state ensures the procurement of “IT equipment”, which refers to software and hardware.
The Law on Informatisation and Public Information Resources of 21 November, 2003 No. 467 provides a series of definitions related to information and communication technologies (ICT). Article 1(1) of this law establishes the basic rules and conditions for activities aimed at creating and developing national information infrastructure as an operating environment of the information society in the Republic of Moldova, regulates legal relationships that emerge in the process of creation and use of public information resources, information technologies, systems and networks. Article 3 contains a vast set of definitions, including information technology; information system; cybersecurity; electronic document; informatisation; information; information protection; information infrastructure; information resource; informational support; information user; information system administration; information system maintenance; information system development, etc. Information technology is defined as a totality of methods, procedures and means of processing and transmitting information and the rules for its application. While the term “ICT” is used, its definition is not provided.
The National Strategy for Building Information Society “Electronic Moldova” approved by Government Decision of 9 March, 2005, No. 255 defines the concepts of electronic culture (e-culture) and electronic education (e-education). Electronic education (e-education) – the use of ICT in order to make the teaching-learning process more efficient and to develop lifelong self-education skills.
The Digital Textbook Concept approved by Order of the Ministry of Education of 22 December, 2015, No. 1215, contains several evidence-based definitions of a digital textbook, as well as a structural classification of digital textbooks.
In compliance with Articles 27, 29 and 31 of the Education Code of the Republic of Moldova, the Concept of Delivering Primary, Secondary and High School Distance Education for Persons with Learning Disabilities Caused by Health Limitations was approved by Order of the Minister of Education of 15 May, 2017, No. 372. The Concept introduces such terms as distance education, distance training, distance training technology, synchronous distance training, asynchronous distance training, virtual learning environment, digital information resources.
Article 10 of the Information Security Concept of the Republic of Moldova approved by Law No. 299 of 21 December, 2017 sets the purpose, objectives, principles and basic lines of actions to ensure a high level of information security in the Republic of Moldova and introduces the concepts of information security and information space.
The National Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Moldova provides users with official statistical information from the country and defines ICT-related terms: information technology; the Internet; personal computers connected to the Internet; Internet access; fixed broadband Internet access; mobile broadband Internet access; investments and expenditures for informatisation; electronic communications; user; mobile phone user; etc.
Guidelines on Implementing Distance Education during the Lockdown for Primary, Secondary and High School Institutions, approved by Order of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research of 19 March, 2020, No. 351, defines, in particular, such terms as distance education, distance communication, virtual learning environment, digital information resources, forms of distance communication (synchronous, asynchronous, blended).
More explicit terminology related to distance education not limited to the lockdown period is provided by the Regulatory Framework for the Organisation and Delivery of Distance Higher Education approved by Order of the Ministry of Education of 24 May, 2016, No. 474. It includes definitions of distance learning, digital educational resources, webinars, tutors, tutorial systems, tutorial activities, educational platform administrators.
The main national laws, policies, etc., including those regarding education, do not provide definitions for the terms information and communication technologies (ICT) and information and communication technologies in education (ICT in education), but these terms are widely used in the legislation of Moldova based on the UNESCO IBE Glossary of Curriculum Terminology.
2. Technology laws, policies, plans and regulations
2.1. Education technology legislative and policy framework
Constitution and laws: The Constitution of the Republic of Moldova is the supreme law of the society and state. The state is obliged to ensure access to information and the security of information/data if it does not endanger the state [59, article 30, 34]. The right to education is ensured by compulsory general education, being free in state institutions [59, article 35]. The state is obliged to ensure adequate conditions for studies and work in order to increase the quality of life [59, article 35, 126].
The basic document that regulates education, the education system in the Republic of Moldova is the Education Code of the Republic of Moldova, which establishes the legal framework of relationship regarding the structure, organization, operation and development of the education system in the Republic of Moldova [1, article 1]. According to the Article 4 of the Education Code of the Republic of Moldova: “Education represents a national priority and the primary factor of the sustainable development of a society based on knowledge; the state ensures the fundamental right to education, indispensable for the exercise of other human rights”. The state ensures the development of the material base of the schools, including the procurement of IT equipment (software and hardware), in accordance with the State Educational Standards approved by MER [1, article 39, 147]. Article 11 of the Education Code of the Republic of Moldova refers to the integration of ICT in education and defines nine key competences, including digital competence. Articles 27, 29 and 31 of the Code cover the organisation of primary, secondary and high school education by delivering distance education for people with disabilities.
Policies, plans and strategies: The Education Development Strategy “Education 2030”, approved by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research and submitted to the Government of the Republic of Moldova for approval, focuses both on traditional approaches for designing public policy documents and on innovative synergistic approaches of modelling changes in education systems in dynamic contexts, including those related to COVID-19. The Strategy is aimed to determine strategic directions of actions necessary to solve systematically identified problems, to achieve education development objectives, as well as to foresee possible changes. The Education 2030 Strategy’s vision of mid- and long-term education development is focused on “the development of a National Education System capable of providing high-quality, inclusive and equitable education to all children/pupils/students/adults throughout life, at all levels of education, in various formal/nonformal/informal contexts”. The Strategy aims at achieving nine general objectives to ensure access to lifelong education for all categories of learners, including learners with special education needs; effective integration of ICT in education in order to guarantee the quality and sustainability of education, including the promotion and implementation of the STEAM concept; qualified teaching staff in accordance with the sustainable development objectives of the Moldova 2030 National Development Strategy.
The Implementation Programme for the Education 2030 Strategy includes a set of specific objectives related to ICT in education: Creating new learning environments by 2030, focused on the coherence of curricular, informational and logistical resources and applied didactic technologies, aimed at gradual formation of specific and transversal skills (5.5); Providing at least 80% of educational units with equipment, software and ICT according to the national standards for each level of education and unit type (6.1); Ensuring initial and continuous training of 100% of employees in the education sector in the development of digital skills and the implementation of education informatisation standards (6.2); Developing institutional capacity of 95% of educational institutions in the creation, use and evaluation of digital learning tools (6.3); and Ensuring adults’ learning and education in regards to digital skills building and valorisation of information technologies (7.5), etc.
The vision and major strategic objective of the Moldova 2030 National Development Strategy are focused on improving the quality of life in accordance with Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). General Objective 2 “Improving living conditions” includes the achievement of Specific Objective 2.2 “Ensuring universal access to the Internet and electronic services for the entire population”. General Objective 3 “Ensuring relevant and quality education for all” is geared towards the achievement of SDG 4.
The Сoncept for the Digital Transformation Strategy of the Republic of Moldova for 2023-2030 (DTSM 2030), developed with the support of UNDP Moldova, aims at contributing to the implementation of major strategic documents, such as the Moldova 2030 National Development Strategy, Activity Programme of the Government of the Republic of Moldova, 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, EU-Moldova Association Agreement, etc. The mission of DTSM 2030 complies with that of the Moldova 2030 National Development Strategy. The vision and priority objectives of DTSM 2030 are focused on turning the Republic of Moldova into an innovative and inclusive digital society, a pro-digital business community with digitally educated people. The areas of intervention of DTSM 2030 are as follows: 1) continuous development of electronic services; 2) development of digital skills; 3) ensuring cybersecurity; 4) supporting business environment and innovations.
The creation of digital textbooks for primary and general secondary education regulated by the Digital Textbook Concept offers new opportunities for creating digital resources and enhancing information flow and digital infrastructure development. IT companies are partners in the concept promotion and creation of digital textbooks and research institutes and universities with faculties specialised in teacher training and ICT are contributors to the research on designing digital resources for education.
Digital competency frameworks: Moldova adheres to the Digital Competence Framework for Citizens (2.1 and 2.2) and the European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators.
Changes occurred as a result of COVID-19: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the legislation of the Republic of Moldova was supplemented with several normative acts, allowing for training to be carried out during the pandemic. The first order was issued by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research to overcome the disruption of learning in educational institutions. Subsequently, the Ministry decided to continue the educational process remotely and approved the Guidelines on Implementing Distance Education during the Lockdown for Primary, Secondary and High School Institutions. By Order No. 380 of 26 March, 2020, the Ministry approved the instructions on organising psychological assistance to students, parents and teaching staff during the disruption of learning. On 04 May, 2020, the Ministry issued an order on special regulations on finishing the second semester of the academic year 2019-2020 and annual educational process for primary and general secondary education under the lockdown. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, adopted Law No. 71 of 21 May, 2020, referring to the cancellation of national graduation exams for general education programmes (in grades 4, 9, 12) and the 2020 examination session. In June 2020, the Government also approved the Concept for a Public Distance Training (e-Learning) Platform and the regulations on its use. The platform will be a component of public informational resources of the Republic of Moldova to provide an effective mechanism for training employees, which will be supplemented with digital resources intended for their professional development. This information system ensures the protection and security of information and personal data. The Ministry of Education, Culture and Research approved the Guidelines on Organising the Educational Process Based on Blended Learning amid the COVID-19 Pandemic for Primary, Secondary and High School Educational Institutions by Order No. 1131 of 13 October, 2020. In order to ensure inclusion and personalized learning, and promote the right of every child to education, Guidelines on Personalisation of the Educational Process for Academic Years 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 were approved. They regulate the process of designing, organising, implementing and monitoring personalised educational processes for students with special educational needs.
A series of other ministerial orders were issued on the organisation of the educational process for each year of studies in primary and general secondary education, which contain specific regulations for education development amid the pandemic (Order No. 840 of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research of 19 August, 2020; Order No. 737 of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research of 16 June, 2021; Order No. 123 of the Ministry of Education and Research of 28 February, 2022).
2.2. Technology infrastructures, technological capacity of schools and learning environments
2.2.1. Technology infrastructure and digital capacity of schools
The Concept of the Digital Transformation Strategy of the Republic of Moldova for 2023-2030 focused on the development of a digital society with a strong, innovative, competitive and digitally secure ICT environment is based on the whole-of-society approach to create conditions “for the digital to unite/include more of the currently excluded”. The Strategy’s priority objective is digital society development with the latest ICT tools, where digital education is included in all educational programmes of a proactive education system supporting digital transformation.
Electricity: Access to electricity in the Republic of Moldova is governed by the Law on Electricity of 27 May, 2016, No. 107. Articles 63 and 65 of this law establish the right of final consumers (citizens of the Republic of Moldova) to be supplied with electricity under contract, under conditions of accessibility, continuity and reliability. Article 67 refers to the protection of vulnerable consumers (socially vulnerable families), establishing special measures for their protection.
Computers and devices: In 2019, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research approved: 1) Minimum Equipment Standards for Subject-Based Classrooms in General Education Institutions; 2) Minimum Standards for Equipping Primary, Secondary and High Schools with ICT Means, which also included revision of specific technical parameters and scenarios of ICT use in the educational process.
With a view to create flexible classrooms with interactive teaching and learning through modern digital technologies, in 2017, the Ministry launched the Clasa Viitorului (Future Classroom Lab) Project in partnership with national and foreign agencies, foundations and IT companies. By 2022, 42 high schools from 22 districts of the country have benefited from the project.
To ensure the educational process during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research took a series of measures (public partnerships, memoranda of understanding) to provide teachers and students with laptops, computers or tablets. A total of 17,510 computer technology devices were purchased from various funds in 2020 and sent to educational institutions. In 2021, the Ministry provided educational institutions with over 16,400 electronic equipment units. In order to carry out distance learning in 2022, the Ministry together with educational institutions offers computing technology to 13,500 educators and about 9,100 students, of which 7,288 are children from socially vulnerable families.
In 2018, the Government of the Republic of Moldova through Decision No. 969 of 03 October 2018 approved the Regulation on Granting Annual Allowance to Teaching Staff in Public General Education Institutions for the purchase of teaching aids; devices and software to be used in online training activities. In 2022, the Government increased the amount from 2000 (US$ 400) to 4000 lei (US$ 800).
Internet connectivity: According to the Action Plan for the Implementation of the Digital Moldova 2020 Strategy, a set of progress indicators to be achieved by the end of 2020 was established, including minimum speed of 30 Mb/s for subscribers; broadband Internet access for at least 60% of households; mobile broadband access for 85% of localities, etc. ITU indicators for telecommunications and Internet were as follows in 2020: fixed telephone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants – 25.5; mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants – 84.8; active mobile broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants – 58.8; 3G and 4G coverage – 89.8% of population; LTE/WiMAX coverage – 98% of population; share of Internet users – 76.12% (latest data for 2017); households with a computer – 59.5%.
According to the impact indicators of the Moldova 2030 National Development Strategy, the share of the population with Internet access should reach 80% by 2025 and 90% by 2030. To achieve the objectives stipulated by the Digital Transformation Strategy of the Republic of Moldova for 2023–2030, high-speed, cheap and reliable Internet connection throughout the country is required.
Starting from April 2020, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research in partnership with Orange Moldova, Moldcell, Moldtelecom and University Information Centre aim to ensure access to online studies for as many students and teachers with free Internet connection as possible.
The Guidelines on Organising the Educational Process Based on Blended Learning amid the COVID-19 Pandemic for Primary, Secondary and High School Educational Institutions, approved by Order No. 1131 of 13 October, 2020 envisage four options for blended learning: 1) traditional on-site lessons; 2) lessons with a few distance participants (the teacher and most of the students are in the classroom, while some students participate online for various reasons, including quarantine); 3) hybrid lessons (the teacher and about half of all the students are in the classroom, the others participate online); 4) online lessons. The Ministry of Education and Research recommends integrating the following free online services as digital educational resources: 1) G Suite for Education; 2) Microsoft Office 365 Education; 3) free electronic register of EMIS. The Ministry also recommends that each education institution should use a single platform for synchronous communication.
2.2.2. Technology and learning environments
Based on the provisions of the Education Code of the Republic of Moldova, the Ministry of Education by Order No. 98 of 26 February 2015 approved the Instruction on Organising Home Education for Children with Special Educational Needs. Paragraph 16 of this document stipulates that “by decision of the Teachers’ Council (the supreme body in general education institutions), home-based education for a high school student can be organised for one or more subject disciplines included in the home education plan, based on the general curriculum, through distance learning in accordance with the normative provisions in force if the educational institution provides for the necessary equipment.”
Apart from the normative acts described above, in 2021, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research together with the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Moldova issued an order regulating the organisation of secondary and high school education for prisoners in penitentiary institutions. According to this order, the Ministry of Justice is responsible for setting up classrooms and equipping them with ICT (computer/laptop, Internet access, etc.) necessary for carrying out the inmate training process.
In 2020, the Digital Library Project was launched based on a memorandum signed between the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research and the Chisinau Mayor’s Office. The memorandum is based on the provisions of the Education Code of the Republic of Moldova (Article 128 (6)), which stipulates that “virtual school libraries can be organized at the national level with functions of e-learning, with school curriculum funds, didactic projects, methodological guides, digital textbooks, examples of docimologic tests, etc.” The project is aimed at ensuring and facilitating access to education. At the first stage, 2,500 video lessons were recorded. Subsequently, the Chisinau Mayor’s Office addressed the Audiovisual Council of the Republic of Moldova requesting to consider the possibility of facilitating free broadcasting of about 2500 video lessons throughout the territory of the country by public television and sound broadcasting networks with national coverage. The initiative was approved and implemented (Decision No. 38/238 of 11 December, 2020) with daily broadcast of video lessons in Romanian and Russian. Today, the digital library has 7,674 video lessons for core disciplines for grades 1 to 12: 4,512 lessons are available in Romanian, the others – in Russian.
2.3. Technology competencies of learners and teachers
2.3.1. Learners
In 2015, by Ministry of Education’s order (Para. 2), the Digital Competence Standards for Primary, Secondary and High School Students were approved.
The Standards for Primary, Secondary and High School Students set digital competences (knowledge, skills and attitudes) that students should master by the end of each stage of general education (primary, secondary and high school). The document includes the following sections: 1) Use of information systems; 2) Processing text type documents; 3) Creating and editing images; 4) Creating and sharing electronic presentations; 5) Data processing with table calculation tools; 6) Use of the Internet; 7) Communication in virtual environments; 8) Developing and implementing algorithms; 9) Organising and processing information through database management systems; 10) Compliance with the norms of ethics and informational security.
In primary school, digital competence training is currently carried out within the core disciplines. Since 2019, a Digital Education module has been included in the core course of Technological Education curriculum.
In secondary school, an Informatics (Computer Science) course is introduced to develop digital competence, which also includes a set of specific skills (computer modelling, algorithmising, programming, etc.).
An essential normative act for general secondary education is the National Curriculum for Subject Disciplines developed in 2019. The Curriculum pays great attention to inter- and transdisciplinary aspects, and integrates the STEAM concept as a new element. Thus, one of the recommendations is to design STEM- and STEAM-based teaching approaches not only for Digital Education or Computer Science classes, but for all subjects by choosing common topics for surveys, research projects, problem solving, etc.
National Development Strategy “Moldova 2030”, Education Development Strategy “Education 2030”, Digital Transformation Strategy of the Republic of Moldova for 2023-2030, National Program in the fields of research and innovation for 2020-2023 years are developed with reference to the Sustainable Development Goals included in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the Republic of Moldova (Adapting the 2030 Agenda on sustainable development to the context of the Republic of Moldova; Toolkit for the nationalisation of sustainable development goals; Nationalization of indicators for sustainable development goals). Increasing the number of girls enrolled in IT and STEM education is a major objective in the policies of the Republic of Moldova aimed at achieving the objectives of SDG 4 and SDG 5, namely: ensuring gender equality in the digital labour market; increasing the number of women with higher education in the sector; reducing the wage gap between women and men, etc.
Following the completion of the study, a series of recommendations regarding the increase in number of the girls and women who choose IT and STEM fields were formulated: organizing awareness campaigns aimed at girls and women regarding the encouragement of choosing a career in the STEM and IT fields; developing and implementing specialized programmes aimed at developing digital skills, encouraging and preparing girls and women for IT and STEM studies; organizing events with successful women in the IT and STEM fields (performed at least annually); and intensifying relations between academia and IT companies on several dimensions: organizing visits for girls to IT companies, carrying out production practice, mentoring sessions for girls, etc.
The most important projects first include the National IT Training Programme for Girls and Women (being implemented since 2018). The training program is carried out by the National Association of Private ICT Companies (ATIC), with the support of UN Women and the financial support of the Government of Sweden, within the Project “Empowering Women in the Field of Technologies”. In parallel, the “GirlsGoIT” programme, launched in March 2015 by UN Women Moldova, the Electronic Government Center, MER, Novateca, ATIC and TEKEDU with the support of the Swedish Embassy encourages girls to test STEM professions, inspires them to choose education and careers in the ICT field, creates effective platforms for the development of digital skills, ensures interaction with private ICT companies and prepares the inclusion of female participants in the labour market.
2.3.2. Teachers
In 2015, by Ministry of Education’s order (Para. 2) the Digital Competence Standards for General Education Teachers were approved.
The Digital Competence Standards for General Education Teachers list digital skills that teachers should master. The document defines the following areas of digital competence required for primary, secondary and high school teachers: 1) Digital communication; 2) Information management; 3) Creation of digital educational content; 4) Implementation of school management applications; 5) Educational content management systems; 6) Use of digital equipment in education; 7) Compliance with ethical and legal norms in the digital space.
Article 123 of the Education Code of the Republic of Moldova provides for a general framework for lifelong learning to be achieved in formal, non-formal and informal education contexts. Article 126 “Organising Adults’ Continuous Training” stipulates that “the state guarantees the training of basic digital skills to adults under the conditions established by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research.” Training is carried out in accordance with the Regulation on Adults’ Continuous Training approved by the Government, and can be organized through distance learning. The costs for continuous training courses for teaching staff are defrayed by: the state (through funds allocated to educational institutions); external sponsors (for example, the Education Reform Project in the Republic of Moldova financed by the World Bank for 2013-2022); and by teachers themselves. The Ministry of Education and Research allows teaching staff to choose the institution for continuous training.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the transition to distance education, mass continuous professional trainings were initiated by the Ministry and carried out for school teachers by local specialized bodies in the field of education, universities, the Clasa Viitorului National Centre for Digital Innovations in Education, the Centre for Information and Communication Technologies in Education, and other training centres.
2.4. Cybersecurity and safety
2.4.1. Data privacy
The legislation of the Republic of Moldova does not contain other documents that guarantee the confidentiality of data related to the use of ICT in education, apart from the Education Code of the Republic of Moldova. However, there are a number of other pieces of legislation that deal with data protection and privacy and the use of technologies.
The Concept of the Digital Transformation Strategy of the Republic of Moldova for 2023–2030 includes Priority Objective 3 “Secure ICT and Digital Environment (Cybersecurity)”, which requires for a series of key actions focused on: 1) strengthening security capabilities for mitigating cyber threats, their rapid detection and blocking; 2) training qualified specialists in the field of cybersecurity able to keep up with the developments and emergence of new technologies; 3) protecting people's safety, rights and personal interests against cybercrimes, and aimed at increasing trust in the virtual environment.
The Concept of the Information Security Strategy of the Republic of Moldova for 2019-2024 envisages ensuring the security of cyberspace for all people, protecting fundamental human rights and freedoms, promoting democracy and the rule of law by investigating and reducing cybercrime. One of the objectives of the strategy is the protection of children against any form of abuse in the online space. The measures to achieve this objective include: “1) combating the phenomenon of child pornography on the Internet; 2) combating the phenomena of grooming and sexual harassment of children via the Internet; 3) promoting a safer Internet for children through online advisors and encouraging reporting through specialised informational projects”. Another major objective is cyber resilience capacity building and raising the level of culture in the ICT field, in particular through “the introduction and promotion of curricular contents regarding information security in national study programmes”.
In order to ensure citizen’s information security, the Law on Personal Data Protection of 08 July, 2011, No. 133 was adopted. The National Centre for the Protection of Personal Data ensures implementation of the Law.
2.4.2. Online abuse and cyberbullying
The period of the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the actions of relevant bodies to ensure safe online environment for children. The Ministry of Education, Culture and Research has approved the following normative acts regarding students’ online safety:
Standards for the Protection and Safety of Children/Students in the Online Environment.
Students and teachers are also provided with several guidelines elaborated by the Council of Europe on child safety online.
On 17 February, 2022, the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova adopted a law introducing the notion of bullying into the Education Code (Article 3). Therefore, Article 136 of the Education Code stipulates that “protective measures against bullying are established in the Guidelines on Bullying Prevention and Combating, approved by the Ministry of Education and Research”, to be implemented in schools starting from 1 September, 2022.
3. Governance
3.1. Institutions in charge of technology in education and coordination mechanisms
The Digital Transformation Strategy of the Republic of Moldova for 2023-2030 stipulates that a governance and coordination structure should be established under the auspices of the Deputy Prime Minister for Digitisation to ensure consistent implementation of the Education 2030 Strategy and to achieve the objectives specified. This structure will include the National Council for Digitisation, the Cybersecurity Coordination Group, the Strategic Monitoring and Evaluation Group, the National Bureau of Statistics, the e-Government Agency, the National Agency for Regulation in Electronic Communications and Information Technology, the Ministry of Education and Research, and the Institute of Information Society Development.
The Ministry of Education and Research is also the key agency responsible for the implementation of ICT in education. The Centre for Information and Communication Technologies in Education within the Ministry is responsible for the personalisation and legalisation of study documents for all educational levels of the Republic of Moldova; for the administration of information systems in the educational field at the national level; for ICT-assisted assessments and training in the field of ICT integration in education. According to the Government Decision on Approval of the Concept of EMIS, the Centre for Information and Communication Technologies in Education and the Information Technology and Cybersecurity Service (subordinate to the Government of the Republic of Moldova) are responsible for the administration, development and maintenance of EMIS.
In each district of the Republic of Moldova, Directorates of Education within District Councils are responsible for the administration of educational institutions. Each directorate has at least one specialist responsible for ensuring the educational goals of the Informatics (Computer Science) course, for the digitisation of education, for teachers’ continuous training in ICT implementation in the teaching process, for the implementation of partnership agreements to introduce technologies in education. The Ministry of Education and Research has a similar specialist who coordinates with his/her colleagues in the country’s districts.
The Government Decision No. 868 of 08 October, 2014 amended in 2020 approved the regulation on the funding of primary and general secondary education institutions subject to second-level local public authorities (municipal and district councils) based on the standard cost per student. The Decision stipulates that second-level local public administration authorities are responsible for ensuring and effectively managing the funds allotted to educational institutions by providing assistance to school heads in financial management, and the Ministry of Education and Research monitors and provides the necessary guidance in the process of financial distributions.
The Ministry of Finance makes estimations for the education sector funding, establishing the expenditure ceiling, which is subsequently communicated to the Ministry of Education and Research. The department responsible for finances within the Ministry calculates the categorial transfers from the state budget to the budgets of second-level administrative territorial units for financing educational institutions. Educational institutions are autonomous in distributing budgetary funds. School heads elaborate budget proposal according to the needs (including computer equipment procurement) and send them to their district council. In order to ensure decision-making transparency, information about the approved budget of educational institutions, its execution and the results of monitoring the financial operations are published on the official websites of the Ministry of Education and Research and municipal/district councils.
Any institution has the right to call on third parties (businesses, non-governmental institutions, international bodies, etc.) to ensure the quality of educational process. Relations are established through memoranda of understanding, national and international projects, public partnerships, consortia, etc.
3.2. Roles of schools
The Ministry of Education and Research in collaboration with the Ion Creangă State Pedagogical University, UNESCO, UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education, the Centre for Information and Documentation on the Rights of Children in Moldova have developed the Implementation Guide on Child Protection Policy in the Educational Institution. Thus, the chapter Use of the Internet and ICT in the Institution defines clear rules for the use of mobile phones, tablets, laptops, personal computers, video consoles, the Internet and for establishing filters for content control in the educational institution. Schools are tasked with elaborating the Policy of the Use of the Internet and ICT. The Guide highlights that the use of modern devices should not be banned completely in schools, since students may benefit from using rapidly evolving technology for educational purposes. Digital resources used within educational institutions should be checked for age appropriateness and content adequacy.
In April 2024, it was announced that Moldova may implement a ban on mobile phones in schools during class hours. A working group will be formed to explore and draft a public policy proposal on regulating phone use in educational settings. The group will review international practices and consider potential changes to the Education Code. Some schools in Chisinau already restrict phone use
Note: The Ministry of Education and Research of the Republic of Moldova was established on June 6, 1990. The name of the institution changed several times: Ministry of Science and Education (1990–1994); Ministry of Education (1994–1997); (2001–2005); Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (1997–1998); Ministry of Education and Science (1998–2001); Ministry of Education and Youth (2005–2009); Ministry of Education (2009–2017); Ministry of Education, Culture and Research (2017–2021) and Ministry of Education and Research (2021–present).
This country profile was commissioned by UNESCO IITE and developed by Angela Globa.
