European Union will support creation of digital laboratories in 9 high schools in the Cahul rayon

State-of-the-art digital equipment, content adapted to current requirements and modernized learning spaces – are some of the benefits that 9 high schools in the Cahul region will enjoy. Within the project “EU4Moldova: Startup City Cahul” will be created several fully equipped digital laboratories, which in the current academic year will be used by about 3000 students and teachers from the institutions connected to the program “Tekwill in Every School”. The initiative aims to create more opportunities for the local community to prepare a generation of future specialists to meet the requirements of the current labour market and to practice in the region, at home.

The COVID – 19 pandemic further accentuated the need to improve digital skills in school education. Conducting online lessons requires increased skills for education to continue its natural course. It would not have been a problem if both students and teachers had the necessary equipment, training, but also quality internet connection.

Tatiana Buciuceanu, director of the “Alexei Mateevici” Theoretical High School, Alexandru Ioan Cuza village, Cahul district: “At the beginning of the school year, our institution was included in the pilot program “Tekwill in Every School”, and 30 students study in this academic year 2 new school disciplines: graphic design and programming. However, in the villages the children do not have the possibility to have a state-of-the-art computer at home in order to be able to carry out the activities proposed by the teachers in the lessons. Thus, the creation of a digital laboratory in our high school will change things a lot. It will be able to be permanently available to students, in order to develop their skills in the field and even prepare for a start in their future career. ”

“Digital Lab” comes to meet the educational needs of regional high schools and helps students to train and improve their digital skills – an absolute necessity for today’s professions, but especially those of the future. With an area of about 50 m2, the laboratories will offer high school students an innovative, creative and fully equipped space for studying the disciplines of the future. It will also provide access to information technology for those who do not have a device at home. Within the “Digital Lab”, 5 thematic areas will be arranged:

• Teacher area equipped with desk, large screen and interactive whiteboard;
• Student area equipped with 20 laptops, computers and webcams;
• Printing area dedicated to print materials;
• Creative area equipped with a board and bean bag chairs;
• Storage area dedicated to the locker room.

The laboratories will become operational by the end of 2021, and the value of the project is about             130 000 EUR, offered as financial assistance from the European Union.