School managers from the south of the country discussed the importance of the Media Education course for the future of pupils
The importance of the optional course Media Education, as well as the need to educate critical thinking generations, was discussed with a group of representatives of the administrations of Russian-language schools in the southern districts of the Republic of Moldova. The event was organized by the Independent Journalism Centre (IJC) on September 9, 2022 in Taraclia. This is the second workshop to which the IJC has invited directors and deputy directors of Russian-language schools to discuss the prospects of the subject of Media Education, the first having been held in Balti.
Anastasia Nani, Deputy Director of the IJC, presented the Centre’s achievements in this field and told the participants about the organization’s efforts so far to promote the course in as many schools as possible, including Russian-language schools. Oxana Iutes, deputy director of Internews in Moldova, underlined that in order to raise critical thinking generations; the efforts of civil society should be combined with those of teachers, authorities and parents.
The meeting was moderated by Natalia Griu, one of the authors of the Media Education textbooks, who, through practical exercises, convinced the participants that critical thinking must be trained from school and that this optional subject provides teachers with all the necessary tools.
The workshop participants confirmed the importance of developing critical thinking among pupils and noted that they would look into the possibility of bringing Media Education into their institutions.
Zinovia Neicovcena, deputy director in charge of education at the “Todur Zanet” Theoretical Lyceum in the village of Congaz, Taraclia district, stated that pupils are open to innovation and the introduction of the new course in the institution, which will enable them to have a media culture in line with the requirements of the time. “The implementation of the Media Education course in school is very important for us, teachers, and pupils. We live in such times, when we simply get lost in all the volume of information that surrounds us. That’s why, in order to provide children with the right information, we need to be trained in this area,” said Zinovia Neicovcena.
Meanwhile, Ivan Peroncov, director of the Theoretical Lyceum in the Ciumai village, Taraclia district, said that pupils should develop critical thinking skills right from school. “Media Education is a very important branch of education. We all understand this – teachers, parents, pupils. Every day we are exposed to information flows, which we can hardly cope with without critical thinking. My conviction is that Media Education is the first step we need to take for ourselves and for the future of our children”, underlined Ivan Peroncov.
The representatives of the administrations of Russian-language schools in the south of the country received a set of textbooks on Education for Media in Russian language for the three levels of education, in order to make it easier for them to consider the possibility of introducing the course in their schools. The event was attended by managers of Russian-language teaching institutions in Musaitu, Tvardita, Moscovei, Cairaclia, Ciumai, Cioc-Maidan, Chirsovo, Cazaclia, Congaz and Taraclia.
The event was organized by the Independent Journalism Centre within the project “Enhancing Support for Independent Russian Language Media Institutions and for efforts in the field of Media Education – Phase II”, implemented by Internews in Moldova. This project is funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
