PRESS RELEASE NATIONAL CONFERENCE WITH INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPATION OPEN EDUCATION IN MOLDOVA: HERE AND NOW

Friday, July 1 2016, at SUMMIT EVENTS, New York Hall, at Tighina street, 49/3 in Chişinău, will take place a special educational event dedicated to promoting open educational resources in Moldova. Policy makers from the Ministry of Education, members of the Coalition for Open Educational Resources in Moldova, trainers from the Centre and school and university teachers, finalists of the OER Contest will participate at this activity. The experts from Romania, Ovidiu Voicu, the Open Society Foundation’s Public Policy Department director and Valentina Pavel, from the Technology and Internet Association – ApTI from Romania, regional coordinator Piroska Hugyecz, OSF –ESP, Budapesta, will present the international experience and the romanian practice related to this subject.

The conference will take place in the framework of the project Open Education in Moldova: Here and Now, which is implemented in the period November 2015 – July 2016, with financial support of the Institute of Open Society Foundation, in cooperation with the Education Support Program of the Open Society Foundation; it will debate the relevant use of OER for different educational actors, it will present the results for the Republican Contest of the best open educational resources, determining a better access for an open education and it will launch a specialized website in this area: http://OER.prodidactica.artsintez.md/. The expected impact is the development of use practices and the production of OER in the Republic of Moldova, in order to include OER in the existent and further educational policies. The aim of the project depended on the promotion of access for interested people (teachers, researchers, etc.) in transparent financing for the creation of OER and the concept of open educational resources, through awareness, support, partnership initiation, which could lead to ensuring access for qualitative education for everyone. Among action beneficiaries there are pupils, teachers, institutions, parents, students, political actors, public institutions, ONGs etc.

There were more than 50 teachers which participated at the contest – 14 teachers, authors of original digital teaching materials, including teaching projects, presentations, blogs and educational movies coming to the final stage. The finalists were chosen by an independent jury formed of experts in the field, based on objective criteria’s set in advance. The winning works will get free license and will become open educational resources, for every person interested in adapting it to his own necessities. Also, the winners will benefit from cash prizes and donations of pedagogical books.

According to the definition given by UNESCO in 2002, OER are educational resources which can be used and reused in a free way, without any technological, juridical and cost restrictions from anyone. Using them for setting up public programs forms one of the basic principles of a good governance: what is produced by using public money should be available for free for the public. The OER producing activity is at an early stage but there are important opportunities for the future. The current educational reform, with international support, emphasizes the relevance of digital competences and of TIC in this domain (Educational strategy 2020, 5^th objective: in order to increase the efficiency of the educational system, to expand and diversify the educational services through the development of different opportunities of OER by the information and communication technology).

Project Expert: dr.hab. conf.univ. Viorica Goraş-Postică
Coordinator: Valeriu Gorincioi, HeadMaster at LT „M. Sadoveanu”, Călăraşi
Contacts: vpostica@prodidactica.md
Tel. 069366848