Chisinau, April 18, 2023. In April-May this year, the "Better Learning Programme" /BLP/ is to be piloted in other 5 high schools in the capital city, to support students in crisis situations. In this context, on April 18-19, 95 teachers, managers and school psychologists from the five schools participate in a training.
Mr. Manuel Guzman, manager of Partnerships for Moldova and Romania, Norwegian Refugee Council/NRC/ thanked the participants in the training for their openness and involvement, stressing that BLP is a programme that aims to ensure the emotional balance so much needed by students, parents and teachers to overcome crises. "The NRC provides the necessary support to the refugees settled in Moldova and Romania, including in the educational field, based on the principle of inclusion and involvement of the whole community," said Mr Guzman.
Viorica Negrei, deputy director of the General Directorate of Education, Youth and Sport /GDEYS/, of Chisinau, said "We make every effort to find the best solutions for the challenges in the education system. One of the challenges is to improve communication with students and parents, and to identify solutions for solving the crises they face in society. Our mission is to ensure a quality educational process that contributes to reducing stress and ensuring the well-being of children," said Mrs. Negrei.
Ana Palii, project coordinator from "Partnerships for Every Child" /P4EC/, declared "this training, like the previous ones, aims to strengthen and develop the capacities of education professionals in facilitating the inclusion in the school environment of children in crisis situations, including refugee children".
The "Better Learning Program" was launched in the Republic of Moldova in 2022 by conducting several trainings at country level, where 15 national trainers, 100 local trainers, as well as about 200 psychologists, teachers and managers from Balti, Cahul and Chisinau were trained. The programme is currently piloted in seven high schools in Balti and Cahul, after being applied in 2022 in five high schools of Chisinau.
The event is carried out with the financial support of NRC, UNICEF, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Research, General Directorate of Education, Youth and Sport of Chisinau, within the "Improving the wellbeing of children in Moldovan educational settings" project.
BLP is a psychosocial support programme that can be integrated in the educational programmes in crisis contexts, including humanitarian. The programme uses a holistic approach to support children's recovery from traumatic events experienced in contexts of crisis or the impact of displacement on both displaced and host communities by improving learning conditions. It mobilises children's support network with the aim of restoring a sense of normalcy and hope. BLP is implemented in 26 countries and research data shows that the participation in the programme helps children improve their ability to understand their emotions, communicate and self-regulate, thereby improving their mental and physical wellbeing.