Around 3200 Students to Participate in the “Better Learning Programme”, supporting students, teachers, and parents in crisis contexts

Approximately 3200 students, including children displaced from Ukraine, from more than 10 schools in the districts of Anenii Noi, Orhei, Soroca, and Chisinau municipality will learn how to manage crisis situations and stress in order to improve their academic performance by participating in the Better Learning Programme 1 and 2 (BLP 1 and BLP 2).

BLP 2 will be implemented for the first time in the Republic of Moldova, building on the success of BLP 1, which was launched in 2022 in response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine and the significant influx of refugee children. The BLP 2 programme provides essential educational recovery support for students and actively involves teachers and parents in this process.

Between 28–31 October, approximately 200 teachers, school managers, and psychologists from the participating schools will take part in training sessions dedicated to the implementation of BLP 1 and BLP 2.

Cristina Savin, Education Coordinator at the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), highlighted: “The Norwegian Refugee Council aims to ensure safe and effective mechanisms for the integration and retention of children displaced from Ukraine within the education system, as well as to strengthen their ability to cope with stress and restore overall well-being. Today, together with our partner, we are launching this initiative designed to improve learning skills for both local and displaced children. The Better Learning Programme 2 applies the same essential recovery principles as Better Learning Programme 1, helping students understand and manage stress reactions, thereby increasing their resilience and academic performance.”

Ana Palii, Project Coordinator at Partnerships for Every Child, emphasized the importance of the current phase of programme implementation, noting that the focus is on providing additional tools to support children and parents in managing stressful situations: “We are currently focusing on improving classroom study skills, increasing concentration, completing homework, and developing resilience and positive thinking. Our goal is to create an environment in which students, teachers, and parents collaborate effectively to overcome children’s educational and emotional challenges, ensuring that school well-being and academic performance are not compromised.”

Since the programme’s launch in June 2022, more than 7,000 children from 25 schools in the municipalities of Chișinău, Cahul, and Bălți have benefited from Better Learning Programme 1. Within the programme, 20 national trainers, 365 teachers from the 25 schools, and 93 pedagogues from district and municipal psycho-pedagogical assistance services have been trained. Additionally, 16 national trainers were prepared under the “Teachers in Crisis Contexts” programme, benefiting 280 teachers.

The training event is organized by Partnerships for Every Child within the project “Ensuring the Well-being of Children in Educational Institutions in Moldova”, funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), the Liechtenstein Development Service Foundation (LED), and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).