Teachers, psychologists, specialists from local bodies and other education professionals from all over the country, more than 40 in number, have completed the training of trainers programme on the application of the conceptual and methodological framework on the prevention of bullying at national level.
Through the programme, participants learned useful new information and effective methods to help prevent and combat bullying in schools.
Sorina Petrică, a qualified expert in this field in Romania, who successfully coordinated the training programme, underlined the imperative of involving as many specialists in pedagogy and psychology as possible in the field of preventing and combating bullying through such programmes. Given the complexity of the bullying phenomenon, there is a need for a distinct approach to both prevention and intervention in cases of bullying. In this respect, the effort to combat bullying requires the acquisition of knowledge and the development of appropriate skills to deal with it successfully.
At the end of the programme, more than 40 course participants received certificates in the field of preventing and combating bullying. Now acting as trainers in the field of bullying prevention and combating bullying at national level, these specialists will share the knowledge they have gained in their local school communities.
APSCF Secretary General Irina Popusoi expressed her gratitude to international donors for funding this training programme in Moldova. She also thanked the Ministry of Education and Research for the effective and sustainable partnership created. Ms Popușoi urged the graduating specialists to put their acquired knowledge and skills into practice and become promoters of positive change in preventing and combating bullying at local level.
Present at the certificate awarding events, State Secretaries Adriana Cazacu and Valentina Olaru urged the trainers to contribute to the creation of a bullying-free school environment, where all children can develop and learn, and where the rights of every student are respected.
The training programme included training sessions, which ran from November 2022 to May 2023. These focused on facilitating intervention programmes with pupils, teachers, school multidisciplinary team specialists and parents. The first session of the training programme was organised by the Terre des Hommes Foundation with the support of UNICEF. Subsequent activities were taken over by the Alliance of NGOs active in the field of Child and Family Social Protection (APSCF), in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Research, in the framework of the project “Together for Quality Education”, implemented with the financial support of Liechtenstein Development Service Moldova (LED).