Washington, D.C., 5 August 2010 - World Bank President Robert Zoellick will visit an FTI-supported Early Childhood Development (ECD) project during his mission to Moldova on August 11, 2010. The project — a pre-school in the town of Cucuruzeni - is a joint effort of EFA FTI partners, including World Bank and UNICEF, with the Moldovan Ministry of Education and local communities.
The pre-school is part of an ECD program under the Moldovan Education Sector Strategy that was endorsed by the EFA FTI partnership in 2005 and received a US$ 8.8 million grant from EFA FTI in 2006.
"The visit by World Bank president Zoellick underscores the importance of the work of all FTI partners", says Leonid Bujor, Minister of Education of Moldova and member of the FTI Board of Directors. "It also shows the leadership of Moldova in making its early childhood education program the cornerstone of the education sector strategy endorsed by FTI. Children who attend ECD programs are more successful in school and later in life. This is a long-term investment in Moldova’s economy and society".
The FTI grant supports the renovation of 65 pre-school institutions throughout the country and materials for about 600 pre-schools, including centers for children with special needs. It also supports the training of more than half of all managers and teaching staff in pre-primary education in the country.
Access of children to ECD programs has increased from 61 percent in 2003 to 75 percent in 2009, and in rural areas, from 51 percent in 2003 to 66 percent in 2009*. In total, 20,000 more children enrolled in pre-primary education from 2003 to 2009.
Bob Prouty, Head of the EFA FTI Secretariat, who will join the visit to the Cucuruzeni kindergarten on August 11, is impressed with the progress in Moldova. "Moldova is breaking new ground, not only by focusing on ECD, but by building its program around the most vulnerable groups who are often left out of preschool education: the poor, those living in rural areas, ethnic minorities, children with disabilities, and those with migrant parents", he adds.
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About the Education for All — Fast Track Initiative (EFA FTI):
The EFA — FTI is a global partnership of donor and developing countries, as well as multilateral institutions and civil society organizations, established in 2002 to ensure that all children receive quality basic education. It currently endorses the education sector plans of 42 low-income countries around the world, and has provided over US$ 2 billion in financial support.
A fact sheet on EFA FTI and Moldova can be found here.
*Source: National Bureau of Statistics, 2009