Roma Education Fund (REF) Romania organized on May 21st the launching conference of project “Formal and Non-formal Education for Sustainable Development in the Center Region” (code MySmis 2014: 106443) co-financed by the European Social Fund through the Human Capital Operational Program 2014-2020. In this project, Roma Education Fund Romania is investing more than 2 million euros in quality educational programs for 820 children from 7 schools in Mureș County.
The launching conference was held at Band Professional School, Mures County, in the presence of local administration representatives, teachers and school managers. Throughout the event, Claudia Lixandru, National Director of Roma Education Fund Romania, Ionela Cristea, Project Manager Roma Education Fund Romania, along with education experts from the foundation, presented the project’s objectives, the planned activities, as well as the results achieved so far. The principal Band Professional School, Gheorghe Creți and the Mayor of Band Village, Mircea Radu both emphasized the importance of this project for their community. “We are convinced that, after three years of intensive intervention into these 10 schools at each educational level, the educational culture in these schools will be changed, and the impact of the learning process will generate better educational results on a long term in these disadvantaged communities”, explains Claudia Lixandru, National Director Roma Education Fund Romania.
The project aims at reducing and preventing early school leaving and promoting inclusive education through three major components, meaning integrated services for the children at different educational levels, for their parents, and capacity building for the teachers working with them. The project has an integrated, double-impact approach that includes both preventive measures (providing a mentoring, guidance, school and vocational counseling package including support services for parents) and remedial measures (by providing the Second Chance program for 200 adults).
