75.Bring education and training systems closer to EU Member state standards and the Bologna process
Implement legislative reform and other measures that will prepare Moldova’s adherence to the Bologna process (promote greater autonomy of Universities, modernise curricula,
introduction of a credit system).
Completed
The Republic of Moldova is a member to the Bologna Process.
A positive dynamic is registered in the following chapters:
Implementation of the Bologna Process objectives on the high education;
Ensuring legislative reform of the high education in the context of the Bologna Process;
Enforcement of the legal acts promoted by the Ministry in education institutions;
Collaboration for the fulfilment of the actions on the monitoring of the higher education system from Moldova:
- International organisations
- Line ministries, and other authorities from the central public administration,
- Association of students and youth;
- non governmental organisations;
Re-evaluation of the roles of the high education institutions in order to orient to a more qualitative education;
Modernisation/development of the university curricula etc.
Referring to the legal approximation, it is to be mentioned that the draft Law from the package in the field of education, as well as the Concept for modernisation of the education were developed in the established terms according to the Legislative Plan for 2005-2009. The draft package of Laws was presented to the Government on 10th of March 2007 (letter 02.11.131G) and the discussion of the package in the Parliament is scheduled for the autumn/winter sessions.
During the years of 2006-2007 there were developed and sent for adoption a set of normative acts, necessary for the implementation of the legal provisions:
- Regulation for the organisation and development of practice services;
- Framework Regulation for the functioning of the dormitories from the subordination of the education institutions (adopted);
- Contract type on the studies in the high and medium education institutions of speciality (day frequency) in the groups financed from the state budget (adopted);
- Framework Regulation on the method and conditions for granting the scholarships for students from the higher education institutions, pupils from the medium education of speciality institutions and secondary professional education and persons that study in the post graduate institutions (adopted);
- Draft normative act for amending the Regulation on the post graduate specialised education (adopted)
As a result of the amendments made in 2005 to the Law on education and adoption of the new structure of the higher education, during the academic years 2005-2006, the framework plan for the 1st cycle was adopted (high education diploma) and new programmes for study developed on the basis of the Plan.
The importance of the Framework Plan – for the higher education (cycle I), can be resumed to the following:
It establishes the general principles for the organisation and development of the educational process in the higher educational institutions;
It reflects the basic requirements for the development of the education plans in different general fields of study at the cycle I, for all the forms of study;
It can be transposed in a big number of education plans, realising the particularities and directions for each education institutions, each field of professional formation and each specialisation;
The admission 2006 and 2007 was organised according to the Nomenclature in the fields of professional formation in the higher educational institutions, adjusted at the type classificatory of the UNESCO, ISCED – 97 and EUROSTAT nomenclature as well as to the requirements of the labour market.
Also, as a result of the formalisation of the European System for Study Transferable Credits, the Implementation Guide on the National System of Study Credits was developed, adopted and published within the higher education institutions.
In order to improve the institutional implementation of the above mentioned document, seminars and trainings were organised for the representatives of the higher educational institutions, responsible of the implementation of the study credits. The implementation of the Guide is monitored and within the exams that are being organised within the higher educational institutions.
Starting with the promotion of the year 2005, supplement to the Diploma are completed and issued free of charge, mandatory for all the graduates of the higher education institutions, which is an Administrative Annex to the Diploma according to the unified European model.
In the year 2006 supplementation and specifications to the Diploma supplement were operated, that aimed at the facilitation of the recognition of the studies from the Republic of Moldova abroad. The completion and issueing of the annex, was extended in 2006 and for the masters studies.
In 2006 the development of the National Framework for Qualifications (NFQ) was made. The Ministry of Education and Youth developed a plan of actions and a type-scheme for the NFQ, on the basis of which the commissions of experts, developed drafts on areas of professional formation. The type-scheme was adopted by the order no.369 of 19th of October 2006. By the same order the responsible higher education institutions for the draft development were appointed. The development of the normative framework in order to adjust the qualifications obtained at the graduation of the first I cycle with the European Qualifications Framework.
The aspects related to the development of the NFQ were examined within the framework of the international Conference, with the support and the appreciation of the Council of Europe “NFQ – quality and transparency” (6-7th of December 2006).
In 2006 the development of the normative acts for the organisation of the master degree studies continued. The draft concept of the training in the field of public administration (initial and continued formation) and case Law. At the development of the respective acts it were taken into consideration the European tendencies and best practices in the field.
The draft Regulation on the organisation of the masters' studies, cycle II, was developed and review by the line ministries. Admission to the masters according to the new procedure will start from the year of 2008.
MEY is supporting and promoting the activities that refer to the academic mobility. In this context was developed and adopted the Regulation on the mobility of students and didactic personnel from the higher education institutions (College Session of 10.11.06).
At the development of FTEM it was foreseen the financing of the programmes on the academic mobility for 23 students/fields of professional formation.
In order to ensure a wider access to the young people to high education, in 2006 it was adopted by the Ministry’s College the regulation on the organisation and development of the admission contest to the higher education institutions. The suggested methodology ensures the equity and non discrimination on the basis of the merits to higher education. The second year consequently, the candidates have the possibility to operate three specialities, in this way the access to the higher education is more wide, and the chances to succeed are higher. The implementation of the new methodology for admission will allow a wider autonomy to the universities and the selection of the candidates.
Ensuring the quality of studies. The responsibility for the quality studies in the higher education is on the institutions for higher education, that are requested to ensure the quality, efficiency, effectiveness at all the steps of the educational process.
Many of the higher educational institutions are covered by the TEMPUS projects that refer to the ensuring of quality higher education. At the national and institutional level, a number of seminars, conferences, symposiums on the respective topic were organised.
Evaluation and accreditation
In the context of improving the system for evaluation and accreditation of the education institutions, the following actions were realised:
The draft Law on ensuring the quality in the education was developed and is included in the package of legislation on education that should be revised, it was sent to the Government and the Parliament for examination. This draft Law determines the policy of the state on ensuring the quality for education at all stages and regulates the organisation, functioning and monitoring of the quality system in the Republic of Moldova; the provisions of the Law are applicable to all the education institutions that provide educational services and initial/continuous formation programmes, that are registered on the territory of the Republic of Moldova and that are licensed to issue national acts on education;
Development of the amendments and supplementation to the Law no.1257-XIII of 16.07.97 on the evaluation and accreditation of the educational institutions in the Republic of Moldova and the Law no.423-XIV pf 04.06.99 on the adoption of the Regulation of evaluation and accreditation of the educational institutions, that will be adjusted with the set of Laws, after their adoption by the Government and Parliament of the Republic of Moldova;
Performing a number of amendments in the mechanism for academic evaluation and accrediting of the educational institutions and formation programmes (new indicators and criteria were developed and are used for the evaluation and accreditation; the transparency of this process was ensured by including within the composition of the evaluation and accreditation commissions of representatives of the respective professional association, students and employees, and the results of the evaluation and accreditation are published; it is planned the insertion of the experts from other countries in the competence of the commissions for evaluation and accreditation of educational institutions; the first educational institution evaluated by the commission was the Medical and Pharmaceutical University “ Nicolae Testimiteanu” );
The criteria, standards and indicators were developed for evaluation and accreditation of the professional institutions of education;
The criteria, standards and indicators for the evaluation and accreditation for the pre school and sports institutions are being developed;
Collaboration is set with the international organisations fro ensuring the quality in the educational system (ENQA, EAQAN, INQAAHE, CEE Network etc.).
MoEY
Use participation in the programme Tempus III to explore the possibility of fostering the development of human resources and human capital.
In the process of completion During the reporting period the participation of the educational institutions and didactic, as well as training personnel from the Republic of Moldova to the Community programmes was increased. The MEY in collaboration with the National Office TEMPUS launched the campaign for monitoring the implementation of the TEMPUS programmes. In this context, the European Commission adopted the plan for monitoring, according to which actions are undertaken. The monitoring of the TEMPUS programmes is made by means of conferences, round tables, evaluation of the impact of the programme to the reform of the higher education, development of didactic and methodological support, technical and technological subsidies.
The dissemination of the information on the conditions for participation, terms for application are made by the MEY in cooperation with the National Office for TEMPUS Programmes. The information dissemination campaigns were organised within the conferences, round tables, visits to the educational institutions and by placing information on the MEY web site.
With the same objectives, MEY ordered the creation within the higher educational institutions from the country of the working groups that will develop at the institutional level as well as at the country level, information campaigns on the conditions and terms for application for the TEMPUS and Erasmus Mundus projects. Same campaigns will be supported by the National Office TEMPUS and MEY.
Hereby, in 2007, in the Republic of Moldova 9 TEMPUS Projects of Structural and Complementation type are running, with a total value of about 1 million 590 thousands Euro.
Also, the higher educational institutions from the country have actively managed the new programme Erasmus Mundus “„External Cooperation Window”. Moldova is accepted to the 6th group of the Community Programme Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Window (Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine). The programme foresees masters’ or doctors’ scholarships in one of the 20 universities of the group 6.
In July 2007, MEY disseminated the information on the possibility to apply within the Programme for master scholarships (the information was placed on the web site of the MEY an also was sent by a circular to all the higher educational institutions).
Many students from Moldova will benefit starting 1st of September 2007 form scholarships for academic mobility in European higher educational institutions.
By the decision of the European Commission (Memorandum of the European Commission, signed on 23rd of February 2007) and with the objective to support the Council of the EU for the implementation of the Bologna Process provision, the Republic of Moldova received a grant of 9 thousand euros. In order to give value to this grant a plan for its implementation was adopted by the ministers’ order and a working group was created. The financial support of the Council of the EU will be used for the fulfilment of certain activities that refer to the quality in education, implementation of the 2nd cycles and aspects related to the mutual recognition.
MoEY
Involve civil society stakeholders and social partners in higher education and VET reform.
In the process of completion In order to make more efficient the implementation of the SALT, the MEY adopted on 15th March 2006, a new Action plan and an inter-ministerial group was created.
All the institutions from the under graduate educational system – residential institutions, creation centres, sports schools, professional schools and colleges (in total 1829) were involved in fulfilment of the “SALT” programme.
By the GD no.270 from 13th of March 2007 the Concept for the Informational Education System (IES) was adopted
The technical documentation was developed for two subsystems of the Informational Education System :
- implementation of the IT in education;
- training of the didactic and management personnel.
The working groups created for this purpose developed the tasks plans for each subsystem of IES. In 2007 the implementation of the subsystems of IES continued.
I
n the Law on the state budget for the 2007 expenditures of 27 million lei are planned for the financial support of the implementation of the “SALT”. Practically within the educational institutions of the country either with the assistance of the “SALT” or with their own financial resources or donations, the IT classrooms were equipped with desktop computers and connected to the internet.
At the moment in the educational institutions are installed about 13.500 computers;
MEY organised a public auction no.1572/06 of 27th of October 2006, on the procurement of 2000 computers for the undergraduate educational institutions.
The financial resources allocated in this matter are from the state budget. The computers will be distributed to institutions until 15 of October. For the survey and with the aim to create later on the automatic registry for survey, in collaboration with the MoID, the Registry of Lyceum Graduates was developed. The baccalaurean diplomas of the lyceum graduates for the 2007 promotion were issued on the new electronic model type, adopted by the MEY.
The draft of the Concept on the distance training will be publicly discussed with the participation of the educational institutions and with other interested parties, active in the field.
In order to ensure the minimum level of knowledge of the IT, at all the stages and levels modules for studying the IT were inserted in the study plans. At the present moment the actual number of pupils that can access a computer is about 40 comparing to 56 in the same period last year.
The Centre for Informational and Communicational Technologies in Education (CICTE) (Created on the basis of the GD no.373 of 12.04.2006) launched its activities. The Centre is involved in the creation and implementation of the educational information system.
Within the Centre are organised continuous training of informatics teachers and other disciplines related to the work with a computer, including teaching studies disciplines.
Also, in the training course for perfection of the trainers/teachers from the undergraduate educational institutions, the IT module was inserted.
In the context of the actions on training of professors, MEY developed and adopted the analytical training programme for professors on ITC (80hours), that is consisting form 4 basic modules. Training of local trainers was performed in 4 regional centres: Balti, Calarasi, Cahul and Chisinau.
The pilot project for the implementation of the information technologies and communications in the educational system:
By the ministers’ order the requirements for the pilot-project were developed and adopted on the implementation of informational and communication technologies in education, which was launched at the Theoretical Lyceum “M.Sadoveanu”, Calarasi district. Starting with 1st of September 2006, in the lyceum is used the educational software for 4 main disciplines: mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology. The Professors of these lectures have been trained on special use of the educational software.
At the next stage in the process of implementation of this pilot project participated the following districts: UTAG – 3 educational institutions; Calarasi – 2; Cahul – 2; Drochia – 2; Chisinau – 2; and Orhei – 1.
For the study year of 2007-2008 software was additionally purchased for another 35 educational institutions, for 4 main scholar disciplines (maths, physics, chemistry and biology). In total in the study years 2007-2008 the implementation of the educational software is made in 50 undergraduate institutions.
MoEY
76. Enhance co-operation in the field of education, training and youth
Support exchange and study opportunities for Moldovans, in particular through their participation in the Erasmus Mundus programme
Completed
In order to improve the level of information of the students on the Community programmes, including Erasmus Mundus, on the indication of MEY in the educational institutions working groups were created for the promotion of the communitarian projects.
These working groups developed the activity plan on the realisation of the training sessions at the level of faculties-departments, what is related to the participation at the Communitarian Project. The training sessions will be realised in the moths of September – October 2007, a preceding period for applications to the Community Projects. In this context, the MEY will monitor and provide support, in cooperation with the National Office TEMPUS for the fulfilment of the training sessions.
To the Erasmus – Mundus programme were accepted:
- in 2005 – 5 citizens of the Republic of Moldova;
- in 2006 – 6 citizens of the Republic of Moldova;
- in 2007 – 5 citizens of the Republic of Moldova.
The number of the accepted candidates is about 5-6 persons per year, fact that shows the interest for the Programme and the quality of the applications made by the citizens of the Republic of Moldova.
MoEY
Enhance Moldovan participation in the Tempus III programme
In process of completion On the request of the MEY the higher educational institutions for the country created working groups that will develop at the institutional as well as at the county level information campaigns on the conditions and terms for application for the TEMPUS Projects and Erasmus Mundus. These campaigns will be supported by the National Office TEMPUS and MEY.
Aspects related to the perfection and improvement of the mechanism for participations of the higher educational institutions to the Communitarian Projects, as well as the priorities within the projects in the context of the processes for modernisation and reform of the higher education are discussed annually within the Common Session of the representatives from the EU Member States and of the partner countries in the framework of the TEMPUS Programme. For each of these meetings the MEY is preparing specific proposals, forwards and discusses with the European Commission the priorities within the TEMPUS projects. The session for the year of 2007 was made in March 2007, in Brussels, with the participation of the Vice Minister for Education and Youth Mrs. Viorelia Moldova-Batrinac.
In order to participate as actively as possible in the Communitarian programmes, MEY in cooperation with the National Office TEMPUS, is developing information campaigns and distributes the materials in hard copies.
In order to better use the participation mechanism of the educational institutions from the country to the Communitarian programme Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Window, MEY sent to the European Commission, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and EU Integration a set of proposals.
In July 2007 at the working session of the European Commission on aspects related to the promotion of the TEMPUS projects the head of the National TEMPUS Office, Mr. V.Arion participated. The useful information on the policy of European Commission on the new generation of TEMPUS Projects IV was disseminated by the educational institutions in the framework of the training campaigns in September 2007.
Starting with 1st of September 2007, the implementation of the TEMPUS Project selected in 2006 started. These are 4 projects, namely:
1. “Master studies in the area of EU integration and the neighbourhood policy” – made by ASEM, State University of Cahul and the State University of Balti, with and budget of 210 thousand Euro;
2. The new training curricula for the – Economy of the financial funds – organised by the Technical and State University from Comrat – budget 292 thousand euros;
3. Development of the schools by implementing the informational and communication system in the Economic Moldova – organised by the Institute for Continuous training, State University of Tiraspol, Pedagogical State University “I.Creanga” and the state university from Balti – budget 263 thousand Euro;
4. Development of the education on the children rights – Moldova and Serbia – made by the State University of Moldova – budget 293 thousand Euros.
