The Interministerial Plan on Media and Information Literacy, developed by the IJC, has been approved by the Ministry of Education and Research and the Ministry of Culture

The Ministry of Education and Research and the Ministry of Culture approved, through a joint order, the Interministerial Plan for the integration of Media and Information Literacy (MIL) actions. The document was developed by the Independent Journalism Center (IJC) with the assistance of International Media Support (IMS) from Denmark. Activities from this document will be included into the action plans of relevant institutions for the years 2024–2026. The interministerial plan, approved in mid-May 2024, was presented to and consulted with representatives of civil society, the donor community, partners of the Republic of Moldova and academia in an event held on May 24.

Through this document, the IJC, which has been working in the field of media education for over ten years, aimed to ensure greater involvement of state institutions in media and information literacy actions and thus to increase the level of critical thinking of Moldovan citizens.

According to the document, this can be done by increasing access to information and formal and informal learning opportunities from preschool level throughout all other age categories, providing access to representatives of linguistic and ethnic minorities, socially vulnerable categories, groups with limited access to information and those with special educational needs, such as people with hearing or vision impairments, etc.

“In the last two years, in parallel with several media education projects, we started a process of giving the MIL concept an official nature. It happened after years of work on the media education segment, periods when things were going sometimes better, sometimes worse, depending on the agenda of the Ministry of Education and Research, with which we have a lasting partnership. After several discussions, at the Media Education Forum, among other events, we decided to start an advocacy campaign aimed at reversing the roles, so that the state got the role of promoter of the concept and civil society continued its activities as a partner,” said Nadine Gogu, executive director of the IJC, at the event of presentation and consultation of the document.

“This comprehensive and inclusive approach could prove useful for the future of Moldova, but also for other countries in the region that are watching Moldova as a platform, as a place of learning in the context of challenges,” said Ambassador of Denmark Søren Jensen at the event.

The document contains three general objectives: Integrating critical thinking skills and media, information and digital literacy in compulsory subjects in educational institutions (preschool, primary school, gymnasium, lyceum and university levels); Adjusting and further promoting the optional discipline Media Education in educational institutions at the level of primary school, gymnasium and lyceum; Increasing the level of media, information and digital literacy of citizens through non-formal educational programs, information and media resources and campaigns.

“We see this plan as a first stage of strategic planning in the field of MIL. Through the selection of objectives and actions, we tried to keep in sight what is achievable and what is a priority at the stage at which we are now. Although this plan will be coordinated by the Ministry of Education and Research and the Ministry of Culture, potential implementers and partners are not only these two ministries. This plan is to present an intersectoral distribution of roles and responsibilities. We are aware of the reality in Moldova in terms of available budgets, too. We know that everything developed in the MIL segment in terms of resources has been for years due to civil society. Respectively, there is expertise. We want state institutions to assume the role of coordinator to a greater extent, but for this plan to be implemented and achievable, we count a lot on the interest and contribution of civil society, development partners and academia,” said researcher Angela Vacaru who, together with the IJC, coordinated the elaboration of the interministerial plan on MIL.

Most of the actions included in the document are to be coordinated by the Ministry of Education and Research. At the event, state secretary Valentina Olaru said that the ministry still counts on the support of civil society organizations with expertise in the field. “A lot of work and a lot of collaboration are still to come. If we look at the content this plan, 80 percent goes to the Ministry of Education and Research. The ministry has limited human resources for coordination, and it is also financially limited. Respectively, everything that can be done, we can do together with other actors of civil society, but also with human resources from the education system,” said Valentina Olaru.

“Already in the process of elaborating the plan, the Ministry of Culture showed openness and support so that we could give a hand and integrate with what we can, through our resources. We are open to implement it and achieve beautiful results,” said Diana Silivestru, interim head of the Arts, Creative Industries and Art Education Department of the Ministry of Culture.

In May 2023, the IJC presented the draft National Program for Media and Information Literacy, which proposed a roadmap of priority actions that the Moldovan state should undertake in the field of media, information and digital literacy. The draft document was developed in accordance with the international commitments of the Republic of Moldova and the documents of national strategic policies in the field of education and information security.

Following discussions with representatives of the Ministry of Education and Research (MER), it was proposed to restructure this program into an interministerial plan under the coordination of the MER and the Ministry of Culture, as well as with the support of implementing partners from the relevant state institutions and civil society organizations.

The interministerial plan was developed based on the analysis of documents relevant to MIL, national and international policies and legislation, consultations with representatives of civil society, academia, as well as the Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, the Broadcasting Council, the Center for Strategic Communication and Combating Disinformation.

Financial resources for the implementation of this plan will be allocated from the state budget and external sources of funding.

The Interministerial Plan on Media and Information Literacy was developed within the project “Advancing Media and Information Literacy in Moldova”, implemented by the Independent Journalism Center with the support of IMS.