raport2023en

Annual report

e-mail: eac@eac.md http://www.eac.md

str. Puskin 16, Chisinau, MD 2012

Tel: /373 22/ 22 11 67, 22 11 72 fax: /373 22/ 221167

CENTRUL DE INFORMAȚII UNIVERSITARE EDUCATIONAL ADVISING CENTER

Educational Advis ing Center/ Activity Report 2023. A summary of EAC's main achievements and activities in 202 3, hig hlight in g th e org aniza tio n's hig h standards of transp arency and account ab ility . The rep ort is inte nde d for p artners , bene ficiaries, and the gen e ral pu blic interes te d in th e Center's act ivities.

EDUCA TIONAL ADVISING CENTER A ctiv ity Report 20 2 3 Addre ss: 16 Puşkin str., Chişinău, MD 20 12, R epu blic of Mol dov a Pho ne/fax: (+ 373 22) 22 11 72, ( + 373 2 2) 22 11 67; mob il e: (+373) 682 200 7 6 Web page: www .eac.md Facebook : Centrul de Informații Universitare An gela MUŞET, directo r Larisa BÎRSĂ, fi nan ci al d ir ector Rodica IOSIP , accountant Otili a PO JO G A, progra m coord inator Nata li a C HITO ROGA, pro gra m ass istant Vita lie R U SS U, netw or k a dmin istrator Ala MIHAILOV , support staff Educatio nal Adv is in g Ce nter (EAC) i s a pr iv ate instit ution, reg istered by the Ministry of Justice o f the Re public o f Mold ov a on 27.01.1 999, registrati on nu mber 08 53. EA C i s a no n-co mmerci al, non-g ov ern menta l, no n-prof it , apolitica l orga niz atio n co nstituted i n the org an iz ation al- leg al for m o f a priv ate inst itution wh ic h oper ates i n con for mity with the Const itution o f the Rep ub lic o f Mold ov a and the law i n force of the Re pub lic of M old ov a, holder of a Cer tif icate o f p ublic co nv enie nce a nd ne cess ity no . M D 0004 74. CIU i s intere sted i n estab lishin g p art nersh ips with or gan iz ations/ institut ion s, a uthoriti es, an d d onors at the l oca l, natio nal, a nd intern ational lev els th at operate i n area s relate d t o the or ganiz ation's miss io n, status, and s trategy. CIU i s g uid ed by and adheres t o its interna l pro ced ures an d po licie s regar ding dec is ion- ma king tran s parency and do es not acc ept acti vit ies t hat con fl ic t w it h t he o rganiz at i on's v al ues. EAC represents the main source of complete, up-to-date and impartial information in Moldova in regards to poss ib ilitie s of c arry ing ou t studies abr oad, as we ll as educ ation al pr ogra ms a nd proj ects i n the cou ntry. EAC’s mission at the inter natio nal level is to enc our age ed ucational m obility of students and grad uates f rom the Rep ub li c of Mold ova by: prov iding ac curat e, co mp rehens iv e, up- t o-date an d unb ias ed i nfor mati on c oncern in g alt er nativ es o f under gradu ate or graduat e progra ms, degree an d non-de gree, at colle ges an d univ ersiti es fro m abroa d , acces sible infor matio n t o all i ndiv i dua ls intere sted i n educatio na l progra ms, trainings or research abr oad; pro moting the v alu es o f an open soc iety by offer ing t o stude nts, univ ersity profe ssors, res earch ers, lea ders a nd pro fe ssionals fro m the Re pub lic o f Mold ov a the poss ib ility t o partic ipate i n a s eries o f rig orou s and co mpetit iv e educat ion al progr a ms set i n an alt er nativ e acad e mi c and c ult u ral env iron ment. EAC’s missi on on the national level is to supp ort a ra nge of educational initiatives aimed to i ntegr ate and sup port dif f erent target grou ps by: offering a series of scholarship programs and educational projects to promote academic excellence, dig it al e duc atio n and a mo dern ap proac h t o t he st ud y process; prov iding s upp ort to the v ulnera ble y outh by o fferin g the m the opp ort unity to ear n edu cati on t hat w il l ea s e t heir inte grat io n into s oci et y ; fac il itati on of the place me nt of y oung pe op le in c o mmer cia l an d non-c o mmerc ial e ntiti es; preparat ion a nd t rain in g of bene fi ciar ies for part i ci pat ion i n edu cati ona l progr a ms; fac il itati on of the acce ss of ben efic iar ies to mod ern t echn olo gi es; supp ort to schoo lin g and educ ation al institut ion s an d organ iz ation s. EA C tries t o ac hi eve t he s e object iv es t hroug h t he f oll o win g act i vit i es: free of ch arge co nsu ltatio ns regard in g t he proce ss and ad mis sio n requ ire me nts for st ud ies a broad; administration of standardized tests SAT and LSA T; organ ization of differe nt e v ents within EAC and i n t he reg io ns with t he p urpo se o f pro motin g the Cente r: presentat ion s (includ ing v ide o pres entati ons), less o ns, se minars, conv ersat i o n grou ps, part ici pati on i n education al e xh ibit ion s; acces s t o curr ent in for mation al res ource s at the EA C l ibrar y ;

Educational Advis ing Center/ Activity Report 2023. A summary of EAC's main achievements and activities in 202 3, hig hlight in g th e org aniza tio n's hig h standards of transp arency and account ab ility . The rep ort is inte nde d for p artners , bene ficiaries, and the gen e ral pu blic interes te d in th e Center's act ivities.

acces s t o internet a nd oth er fac il itie s (ele ctronic dat abas es, aud io eq ui p ment ) ; maintenance and actualization of EAC’s webpage, Facebook page and L in ke dIn; partic ipation in inter nation al spec ia liz ed ev ents me a nt to promote educat ion al lin ks betwee n Mold ov a and other countr ies. Pro grams and proj e cts: Sup port in g gir ls an d wo men refuge es fro m Ukr ain e, as w ell a s Ru ss ian- sp ea king gir ls and w o men fro m Mold ov a aged 1 8 to 4 5 t hrough d ig ital an d ent repren eursh ip edu cat i on , w ho are potent ia l ent repre neur s loo kin g t o transfor m t heir i deas or hobb ie s into t heir ow n business es, and acti v e entrepreneurs see kin g t o develop o r opt imiz e their current busin esse s through the pro ject " Wo me n's Dig ital Ce nter" – Orange Foundation Fr ance , ww w.fondat ionorang e.com/en Di gita l educ atio n progra m dedicat ed t o disadv anta g ed y oung peop le, w ith the goal t o contribute t o t heir social and d ig ita l in clu si on through tec hno lo gy and faci lit ate t h eir a cces s t o t h e lab or mar ket, prepari ng them for future jobs. So lid arity FabLab i s designed t o train v ulnerab le y oung p eop le age d 1 4-25 who are eager t o learn various digital techniques and tools such a s 3 D printer, sewing machine, laser cutter , electro nic equip ment and co mponents, an d as a res ult, t o develop pra ctica l s kills and digita l know ledge t o face the curr ent reality with a profess io n adapted t o the requirement s of the fut ure – O range Found atio n Moldova , ww w.fundatia.or ange. md & Or ange Foundation France , ww w.fondationorange.com/ en Pro mot ing d igita l edu cati on through Oran ge D ig ital Ce nter - a key progra m for dig ital i ncl us ion an d education for soc iety, aimed at cre ating and develo pin g digita l a nd e ntrepren euria l s kills for every one, through a co ntin uou s lear nin g and pro fe ssi ona l dev elo p ment ap proac h - Orange F oun datio n Mol dov a, www .fundatia.orange.md. Encouraging children aged 9-13 to learn the Scratch coding language and to use their time in front of computers pr oductively through the “#SuperCoder s” program – Orange Moldova, www.orange.md. Digita l inclus ion for large fa milies fro m s ocially v ulnera ble bac kgro unds i n the Re pub lic o f Mo ldov a t hrough t he soc ia l proj ec t "O range Fo und atio n H e lps. I nt ernet f or t he F ut u re" - O range F oun dat io n Moldova , ww w .fundatia.orange.md . The m ai n pr omoti o nal e vents and act i vities: Administering the SAT exam a s the authorized test ing center – 58735, during the months of Marc h, May, October, and December. Registration i s done i n a time ly manner t o select and confirm the test date, t o ensure seat availability , allocate sufficient preparation time, and meet deadlines for applying t o colleges and univ ersit ies a broa d. Official events with the awarding of grant certificates within the programs: "Women Digital Center" and "Solid arity FabL ab". Pro grams and proje cts admi nist ered in 2 023: 1. Women’s Digital Center, edition 20 23 A im: Digita l and entrepr e neurial ed ucation for women and y oung gir ls fro m th e Rep ublic of Mold ov a and wome n refugees fro m Ukra ine. Sp on sor : O rang e Fo undation Fra nce Bu dg et: 74.85 0, 00 E U R The pro je ct supports the development and op tim ization, within 5 NGOs p laced i n the regions o f Mo ld ov a, of th e space s create d, ded icate d t o dig it al e duc ation for w o me n, cal le d WD C, a s w el l a s st rength ening t he part n ershi p initiated with these first 3 regional partners - CONT ACT-Cahul, FĂCLIA-Ungheni, CONSENS-Sîngerei, A FA – Bălți, Tineretul Gagauziei – Comrat - i n order t o recruit and train the target group t o develop digital socialization and co mmun icat ion s kil ls, as w el l as sup port i n t he tr ansit ion a nd ad aptat i on t o profes si ona l l if e. Target group: Wo men a nd girls r efugees fro m Ukraine, as well a s Russian-speaking g irl s and w omen fr om Mold ov a, both fro m rural and urba n areas, age d 18 t o 45, who w ish t o benefi t from fre e cours es i n d igi tal an d entrepren euri al fi elds. Th is will e nab le the m t o laun ch o r pro mote a s ma l l bus ines s or dev elo p s ki l ls relev ant t o the job mar ket.

Educational Advis ing Center/ Activity Report 2023. A summary of EAC's main achievements and activities in 202 3, hig hlight in g th e org aniza tio n's hig h standards of transp arency and account ab ility . The rep ort is inte nde d for p artners , bene ficiaries, and the gen e ral pu blic interes te d in th e Center's act ivities.

Res ult s : The digita l cent ers hav e receiv ed grants i n the form of fi nan ci al resourc es t o carr y out educatio na l activities. 4 55 women an d gir ls have b enefit ed fr o m o fflin e train ings, on 4 t hematic modules: digita l literacy, entrepren eurs hip i niti atio n, onlin e busines s promotion, use fu l applic atio ns, and w ebsit e creatio n – t raini ng s offere d w ithin t he proj ect by t he 5 activ e digit a l cent ers. 2. Soli dari ty FabLa b, edition 202 3 Aim: the social and digital inclusion of technology-disadvantaged young people and facilitating their access to the lab or mar ket, prepar in g them for j obs of t he f utur e. 1) Sp on sor : O rang e Fo undation Mo ldov a Bu dget : 3 81.56 1,00 M D L Sp on sor: Orang e Fo undation Fra nce Bu dget: 60 0.004,00 MD L I n the third edition of the Solidarity FabLab project, young people learn how t o properly manage equipme nt and w ork to ols, t o d esi gn t he ir ow n proj ects fro m t he de sign st age t o t h e actu al p roducti on, suc h as: s mart lig htin g fixt ures, logos on ply wood, leather o r glass, souvenirs produ ced at 3D print ers, embro id ered sewing ma ch in e acces sori es, e t c. Target group: Y oung people aged 1 4 t o 25 from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds i n Moldova, inc lud in g those who are une mp loy ed, stude nts, an d pupils pa ss ion ate about innov atio n, who w ish t o dev elop transfor matio nal projects for the commun ity. The pro ject i nclude s a coll ection o f sh ort-term train in gs ( 6 hours per su bj ect) for initi atio n into op erat in g eq uip ment and m ach inery foun d w ithin the FabLab center s suc h a s 3 D printers, Sewin g Mach ine, Laser C utter, emb edd ed sy stems, and c o mp one nts. Ben efic iari es o f th e S olid arity FabL ab proj ect, while attend ing cour ses, h ad the fre edo m t o ch oos e th eir ow n proje ct ide as. A s a resu l t, 1 5 pro jects d ev elop ed by the y oung p eop le g uided by t heir tr ainers w ere pre se nted at the exhibiti on ev ent, and 3, the most inn ov ativ e and creativ e ones, w ere aw arded. Th e w inn ing t ea ms receiv ed priz es o f t he first de gree - 3 0, 000 M DL , t he se con d degre e – 20 , 00 0 MD L, an d t he t hird de gree – 10, 00 0 M DL. Results: The Solidarity FabLab trainer teams received grants in the form of financial resources for conducting t raini ng se ssi ons w it h y ou ng peo pl e in t he reg io ns, and a ll mater ia ls/ acc ess ories w ere prov i ded by t he p roject . 1 2 0 y oung p eople ag ed 1 4- 2 5 be ne fited fro m o fflin e trainings o n 4 bas ic mo dules: 3D pr inting, digita l sewin g machine, laser cutter, embedded sy stems, prov ided by the 3 Solidar ity FabLabs. Three teams o f y oung people receiv ed pr iz es i n the for m o f fina nc ial re sourc es. 3 . Orange Digital Center, edition 2023 A im : digital inclu sion and education for society, aiming t o create and develop digita l and entrepr eneurial s kills for ev ery one through a co nt in uous le arni ng a nd pr of ess i ona l dev el op ment ap proa ch. Th is inc lud es t he creat ion and delivery of educat ional content for FabLab and Wo men Digital Center. Sp on sor : O rang e Fo undation Mo ldov a Bu dg et: 1.725.35 8, 00 M D L A glob al i nitiativ e laun ch ed by the Orange Group , reflecting a co mmit me n t t o bringing dig ita l inc lus ion an d educ ation c loser t o ev ery one. Free and acce ssible t o all, the Orange Dig ital Ce nter cov ers a wide range o f dig ital tools and t echn olog ies, theoretic al tr ain ing, pract i ca l w orksho ps, as w ell as expert ise i n d igita l s ki ll s tr ain ing an d dev elop men t, cod ing, d ig ital man ufacturi ng, entrepr e neursh ip, an d st art up in cu batio n and a cce lerat i on. A t this stage, d ig ital ma n ufa cturin g, entrepren euri a l educ atio n, and cod ing for children were the sub- proje cts imp le me nted by the Education a l A dv is in g Ce nter under the Orange Digita l Ce nter umbr ella, within tw o progra ms : FabLab a nd Code School, namely FabLab, # Su per Coders, and Wo me n Dig ital Center. 3.1 Fab La b : a small-sca le digita l prototy ping a nd ma nufacturi ng wor ksh op with digita l prod uctio n equ ip ment and ma ch inery : 3D printers, la ser cutters, digita l embroidery machine s, v iny l cutters, robotics kits, co mp uters, and electro nic to ols. A im : t o promote digita l i nc lus ion a mon g y outh w ho a spire t o dev elo p new s ki ll s , learn h ow t o progr a m or operate cutting-e dge tec hno lo gies , and t o craft t he ir ow n p rojects fro m t he d es ign st age t o pro ducti on. Th is i nclu des creatin g ite ms such as s mart lig htin g fixture s, ply w ood log os, souv en irs pro d uced by 3D pr inters, e mb roider ed accessories us in g dig ita l embro idery ma ch ines, an d enhanc ing the ir e mp loy ability skills by lev erag in g dig ital product ion tec hno lo gie s , i ntroduc ing the m t o the w o rld of future tr ad es.

Educational Advis ing Center/ Activity Report 2023. A summary of EAC's main achievements and activities in 202 3, hig hlight in g th e org aniza tio n's hig h standards of transp arency and account ab ility . The rep ort is inte nde d for p artners , bene ficiaries, and the gen e ral pu blic interes te d in th e Center's act ivities.

Targ et group: y outh ag ed 14 to 25 fro m Chisin au city and its suburb s, passionate about technology and inn ov ation. Results : Between J uly and Nov ember 20 23, 110 y outh aged 14 t o 25 fro m Chis ina u c ity and its s ubur b s were init iated into the corre ct operation o f equip ment and ma ch inery, such a s 3 D pr inters, dig ital e mbroidery machines, laser c utt ers, v iny l cutt ers, electron ic e quip me nt and compon ents, and mo de li ng i n s pec ia liz ed so ft w are . 3.2 Women Digital Center: digital and entrepreneurial education for women and young girls from Chisinau mu ni cip ality and its sub ur bs. A im: t o prov ide dig ita l an d entrepren euri al ed ucat ion for wo me n and y oung girl s, aged 18 t o 45, w ho w ish t o benefit fro m free co urses i n dig ital and entrepren euria l fie lds, ena bling them t o lau nch or pro mote a sma ll busines s or dev elo p s ki l ls i n us ing d ig ital t oo ls re lev an t t o t he job mar ket. Target group: gir ls and women fro m Chis in au city and its suburbs, aged 18 to 45, who are potential entrepreneurs looking to transform their ideas or hobbies into their own businesses, or active entrepreneurs see king to dev e lop or opt i miz e their curr ent bu si nes s through t he ex pl orat io n and e ff ic ient us e of d ig it al t ools. Results: 229 girls and women have benefited from training at the W omen Digital Center , completing one, two, three, or all four themat ic modules: digital litera cy, entrepreneursh ip, online business pro mot ion, useful applications, and website creation. Additionally, ten small grants, each worth 30,000 lei, were awarded to ten w omen, gradu ates of th e course, to supp ort and encour age the l aun ch or dev elop ment of their existin g busines ses, as w e ll as t o enha nce t he ir eco no mic o pport un it ie s. 3.3 #Super Coders, Oran ge Di gital Ce nter : cod ing works hops for ch ildren from Ch is ina u city and its s uburbs. A i m: to prov ide d ig ital ed ucatio n t o t he young er ge nerat io n by i nt roduc in g t h em t o co di ng a nd pr o mot i ng a sa fe, efficient, and responsib le use of time sp ent in front of the co mputer. Dur ing th e wor ksh ops, c hil dren wer e gu ide d by Orange M old ov a v olunte ers i n cr eating g a mes w ith v ariou s themes. They created per sona l profiles on the Scra tch platfor m, thus in itiat in g thems elv es into the fas cinat ing w orld o f pro gra mming. Th e creativ e pro cess cont i n ued w it h t h e creat ion o f g ames a nd a ni m at ion s, giv i ng t he m the opportun ity t o express their i mag inat ion a nd ap ply the concepts t hey lear ned. Th e ti me spent w as not only interest ing an d use fu l but also interact iv e, prov iding children with the opp ortu nity t o dev elop new skills i n a fu n and educational way . Target group: Ch ildren a ged 9 to 13 fr o m Chis in au city and its suburb s. Res ult s, Jul y 2023: # reg ist ratio ns – 76 # benefic iari es - 41 Res ult s, De cem ber 20 23 : # reg ist ratio ns – 76 # benef ici ari e s - 49 Thus, the childre n learn ed the basic concepts of Scr atch programming and drag & drop techniques, discov ered unlimite d learn in g opportu nitie s offered by technology, and a new captiv ating, useful, and respons ib le mode l for co mputer tim e usa ge. 4. #Su per Co der s National Co ding Pro gram, 7th edition Aim: digital education for the younger generation through coding initiation and promoting a safe, efficient, and respon si ble u se of time sp ent in fr ont of t he c o mput e r Sp on sor : O rang e Mol dov a Bu get : 80 0.000,00 MDL Dur ing this wor ksh op, pro gra mming bec o mes a true digita l adv enture, where childr en create ga me s and short animatio ns, asse mble lo gical se g me nts, and bri ng characters t o li fe. Th ese see ming ly ele me ntary actions are extre mely in structiv e, dev elopin g lo gic al th in king, cr eativ ity, as well as the ab ility to w ork i n tea ms. The pro ject i s des ig ned for children ag ed 9 t o 13 who grow up with daily access t o techno lo gy and intuitiv ely learn how t o use it . A s a resu lt, chi ldre n l earn t he ba sic con cepts of Sc ratch progr a mmi ng, dra g & dro p techniques, and deve lop proje cts. Thus, they study fund a menta l not ion s of c omputer pro gra mming, dis cov ering a fun, simple, and educational perspective o n the value of the digital environment. T eachers, i n turn, are well- prepare d to lev erage t he Scratch p lat for m i n t he t ea chin g proc ess. Targ et group: Co mputer scie nce teachers a nd ch ildren ag ed 9 to 13 fr o m Mold ov a. Results: 1400 students and 70 teachers from 70 schools across the country participated in coding workshops, w here t hey were trained in t he bas ic con cept s of S c ratch progr a mm in g and dr ag & dro p t echn iqu e. 5. "O ran ge F ou nd ati on Help s. Internet for th e F uture " so cial project A im: digita l inclusio n of society by prov iding disa dv antaged fa milie s with free acc ess to t he Intern et and telev is ion. Sp on sor : Orang e Mol dov a Fou ndati on Bu dg et: 1.500.0 00,00 M DL

Educational Advis ing Center/ Activity Report 2023. A summary of EAC's main achievements and activities in 202 3, hig hlight in g th e org aniza tio n's hig h standards of transp arency and account ab ility . The rep ort is inte nde d for p artners , bene ficiaries, and the gen e ral pu blic interes te d in th e Center's act ivities.

Wit h in the proj ect, suppo rt and assista nce were p rov ided t o v ulnerab le fa mil ies with three or more c hildren, co mi ng fro m s ocially v ulnerabl e bac kgrou nds. Ea ch fa mi ly receiv ed, free o f ch arge, for a peri od o f 12 months, a Fiber Internet subscription and Home T elevision, a T V, a smartphone, and a PrePay S IM card. T arget group: families with at least 3 children, with a monthly income of up to 5,000 lei, single -parent families w ith childre n, or fa mil ies w here at lea st one me mber has di sab i lit i es. Partn ers : So cial Ass istan ce and Family Protection Dep artments (DA SP F). Res ults : The proje ct was imp le mented i n 26 v illag es and cit ies i n the Re public o f Moldov a, benefit ing 12 6 familie s (628 be nefic iar ies, inc luding 211 adults and 417 c hildren, of wh ich 24 ch ildren have sev ere dis ab ilities), and on e NGO "Ajut un o m/Help a Perso n" fro m Ch is inau cit y, which bene fite d fro m this supp ort. 6. Authorized T esting Center for the SAT Exam Aim: The Scholastic Assessment T est (SAT) is designed to assess the academic readiness of high school st udent s for co lle ge a d mis sion. T he t est is i ntend ed to me asur e st ude nts' bas ic compet en ci es in cr itic al reading, mathe matics, an d writing, in cl uding an aly t i cal an d prob le m-s olv i ng s kil ls. SA T Weekend - is administered seven times a year, in March, May , June, August, October , November, and Dec e mber. It is i mp ort ant to stay infor med a nd p lan ahea d to select dates that best fit both a cad e mic and person al s che dules. Gene rally, taking the test in the spring and later in the fa ll of the fin al y ear of h ig h sc hoo l is reco mme nde d, depe nd ing on t he obtai ned s core an d person al o bj ectiv es. The regist rat io n proc ess sh ou l d be pla nne d in adv an ce to ens ure a spot an d av oid po ssi ble a ddit ion al fee s. The SAT score is used by high er educatio n inst itutio ns as an important criter io n in the ev alu atio n and ad mi ssi on pro cess, a lon g side ot her co mp one nts su ch as hi gh sc hoo l grad es, extracurr i cul ar act iv it i es, teach er reco mme ndat ions, a nd a person al state ment. Ca nd i dates ca n only register on line: www.coll ege boar d.co m. Starting from Marc h 2023, the SAT test is administer ed in d ig ital for mat, and s pots are limite d.