The event was held at the Department of Urban Planning and Architecture, Technical University and aimed at finding student-centered solutions to transform school infrastructure in line with the Model School concept.
Discussions centered on architectural and engineering principles to meet the needs of the education of the future: flexible, collaborative, green, digital and safe spaces for all children. During the day, national and international experts shared examples of best practices from Romania, Slovenia and other countries, offering concrete solutions for modernizing school infrastructure – intelligent retrofitting of existing buildings, STEM labs, multifunctional libraries, adapted and accessible sanitary areas, and integrated digital technologies.
Recall that in 2024, the Ministry of Education and Science, with the support of development partners, launched a network of 90 schools across the country as part of the education reform, which will become institutions that offer an effective management model and promote a healthy organizational culture. In order to ensure the effect of investments in the modernization of the school infrastructure, the educational institutions included in the Network of Model Schools, with the exception of the schools from Chisinau municipality, had to meet several criteria. Thus, the minimum number of pupils at the moment of evaluation had to be 400; the land and buildings of the educational institution had to be state owned by the local or central public administration. In addition, in order to be included in the network, schools had to have the potential to attract pupils from neighboring settlements.
For the institutions in Chisinau municipality, the following criteria were selectively applied, depending on the specifics of each institution. The land and buildings of the institution must be publicly owned by the local or central public administration authorities; the institution must be located in areas with expanding residential areas and with overloading of the educational network along the perimeter; the school must have the capacity to accommodate an additional number of pupils. And also need to carry out major renovation of buildings or infrastructure, ensure balanced coverage of the five administrative sectors of the municipality, etc.
These schools should become conduits of excellence and centers of attraction for students and parents, including those from less successful schools. At the same time, the heads of these institutions will receive training and education, and teachers will be supported in implementing modern teaching methods. All this is taking place against the backdrop of the ongoing revision of the national curriculum.
According to the Ministry of Education and Science, about 220 million euros will be needed to modernize 90 model schools (the entire network). About 155 million euros have been received from external sources.
