Moldovan government to distribute 10,000 laptops for pupils in V-XII grades

Chisinau, 14 April /MOLDPRES/- The Ministry of Education, Culture and Research will distribute 10,000 laptops in 35 districts of the country for pupils in V-XII grades. They will be provided with computer technology to have access to online studies. This amount will fully cover the needs of middle and high school pupils, the government's communication and protocol department has reported.

Today, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research received the first batch of 2,400 laptops through the Education Reform in Moldova Project (PRIM).

Attending the event were acting Prime Minister Aureliu Ciocoi, Minister of Education, Culture and Research Lilia Pogolșa, representatives of the local specialized bodies in education etc. Also today, the computers will be distributed in the districts of the country, and next week the second batch will be delivered, numbering 7,600 units.

The data was collected through the Education Management Information System (SIME), according to which 9,484 pupils in grades V-XII need a computer to connect to online lessons. The information was provided by heads of general education institutions in the country.

The premier praised the World Bank's support for the project and said that given the pandemic, the acquisition would support pupils in the country, providing them with access to online education. 

Minister of Education, Culture and Research Lilia Pogolșa said that the pandemic imposed the reorganization of the educational process - online, which brought to the fore the issue of equipping students with the necessary technique. In this context, Lilia Pogolșa thanked the PRIM team and the World Bank for reallocating 3.5 million dollars to purchase computers.

The laptops purchased under the Education Reform in Moldova Project are equipped with a licensed operating system and the total cost of the acquisition is 2,914,200 dollars. At the same time, with the support of the World Bank, 160 physics and chemistry laboratories will be equipped.

The MECC leadership also stressed the need for another 10,000 computers to fully ensure primary school pupils' access to online studies. The authorities will continue to identify financial means for the acquisition of the necessary equipment.

In 2020, to ensure the remote education, the government earmarked 20 million lei, of which 2,500 laptops were bought for educational institutions in the country. In total, the education system was equipped with 20,000 units of computer technology, with the support of development partners and procurement by local public administrations.

photo: Government