Heritage International School’s international education model and supporting the education reform in Moldova in the context of the approval of the EU accession negotiations were the essential topics the representatives of the School discussed at the meeting with Dan Perciun, Minister of Education and Research, Valentina Olaru, Secretary of State, Daniel Funeriu, ex-Minister of Education of Romania, Advisor to the Ministry of Education and Research in Moldova, Presidential advisor in the field of education and research, Valentina Chicu, as well as other representatives from the sphere.

The meeting was held in the premises of the Heritage International School earlier this week and resulted in strengthening the cooperation between the institution and the authorities and establishing the reforms important for improving the educational system in Moldova.

Rob Ford, Heritage International School CEO & Director: “It was a pleasure and an honor to invite Mr. Perciun, Minister of Education and Research, and his team to Heritage for this discussion and to present our innovative model based on international education. We closely cooperate with the national educational community, and all of us would like to have a better educational system, schools, and equal chances and opportunities for every student in Moldova. All of us share and support the Minister’s and his team’s ambition and vision of education. Every society faces the challenges of improving schools and ensuring that they are perfect for their destination, contributing to our country’s future stability and prosperity. Teachers are the most precious persons. We need to keep the ones we already have and to attract more people into this profession. We keep demonstrating the success of our Heritage model on the national and international arenas. Therefore, we communicate, support each other, and work together, anticipating continued cooperation while Moldova’s education system adapts to the challenges faced in the 2020s.”

During the visit, several priority aspects were discussed, such as Heritage International School’s mission, the challenges the education system faced during the pandemic, the Cambridge Curriculum and particularities of this educational model, and the International Primary Curriculum. Moreover, the school’s representatives provided detailed information on COBIS accreditation, continuous professional development for teachers, the teaching and learning quality assurance process, and improving standards in line with the global models.

The Heritage representatives keep taking part in several ministry working groups, including “The Model School,” “Re-Conceptualizing External Assessment for Schools,” and “Reduction of Bureaucracy in Schools.” Therefore, during the discussion, such topics as the reform of the current assessment process for national schools, examining international methods and standards, and the quality assurance process in schools were considered.

Heritage International School has always closely cooperated with the national education community, offering online access to the annual Founders' Lecture series for the other schools, providing free professional development opportunities via the TeachMeet series, and organizing such events and competitions as the “World Scholars’ Cup” for students. In March 2020, Heritage shared its own online education model with the team of the Ministry of Education and the national community for supporting access to education during the pandemic.