15 KEP school win funds in the «Educaţia 2000 +» project

02.02.2012

For the 229 participants, the training included in the «Technical Assistance for IT&C use in schools and libraries» project was truly a challenge. When they went to Brașov, they didn’t have the most basic ideas about how to write European projects. A little timid at first, teachers managed to write successful projects during the four days of the training, under the careful guidance of the trainers, as proven in the fact that some of them actually received funds and are now starting to implement their ideas. “The fact that just only 15 schools managed to get funds doesn’t seem a very good result, but if we look at the initial report, in which most said they don’t know very much about how to write a project, and then at the final report, it’s obviously a positive result. The course was structured according to CNFPA rules regarding life-long learning “, says Octavian Costea, key expert in the project «Technical Assistance for IT&C use in schools and libraries».

Training according with the latest European requirements

The training included two stages, from 7 to 10 December and from 11 to 14 December 2011. Teachers learned from eight trainers, but the sessions included 20 local facilitators which will monitor the projects’ implementation in winning communities. The things teachers learned were very diverse; in order to be successful, trainees had to use their IT&C and foreign language skills. „The project is totally included in the entrepreneurial component, with inserts from the foreign languages and IT&C skills components. During the year, they learned totally new topics, like online marketing or how to identify a brand”, Octavia Costea explains.

“A new type of experience, at the beginning of a new road”

Dan Ionuț Teleanu, history teacher at the school in Nistorești (Vrancea), is one of the teachers who succeeded in winning financing. Although he’s only been a teacher for two years, the school management decided to trust him with participation in this training. Such trust was a motivating factor in his desire to be among the best. „It was a new experience for me, because it was the first time that I was part of such classes. Since I had no experience in this field whatsoever, I was expected a polite «no». The fact that I am among the 15 winners means a great deal to me!”, teacher Dan Ionuţ Teleanu from Nistorești says.

The history teacher wrote a project aiming to promote his community. The title, “Promote your past with the technology of the future”, shows some of his intentions. With help from students and a few fellow teachers, he will create a monograph of Nistorești – not a classic one, but one meant to use the IT&C tools the school has been equipped with as part of KEP.

“Eight pupils and three teachers will work on the monograph, including myself. The work will include the genealogy of pupils involved. We will also do a hologram-based reconstruction of the old Nistorești. We want the work to be published on CDs and DVDs, which we could see and get funds for new projects. I want to have in the future a history lab with an intelligent keyboard and a video projector. The monograph will also have a printed edition for officials and other interested parties”, the teacher explains.

Stained glass painting club in Sineşti

Another teacher who won financing after the training in Brașov was Nicoleta Andrei, from Sineşti, Iași County. Her project is called « Stained glass painting club », and now she is eager to start work alongside her pupils. “If I would have had to write this project alone, it wold have been exceedingly difficult. This way, with trainers, it was much better; they really helped a lot”, she says.

When she chose her topic, Nicoleta Andrei took into account the difficult financial status of some of her students. They will paint stained glass; works could be exhibited and, the teacher hopes, sold, so that the children can earn money and contribute towards solving their family’s problems. “We have to have buyers who will want stained glass windows in their homes, for a fee, of course. When choosing this topic for the project, I thought that many children do not know how to spend their time in a useful but pleasant way. I hope they will take an interest in this activity”, Nicoleta Andrei sums up.

News of this success was a cause for joy at the school in Sinești. „When we decided to send our primary school teacher there, I told her I was expecting results and I now see I did not make the wrong choice. Now, I’m also a bit nervous, because something new gets you mobilised but also raises all sorts of questions. Activities will start in March, with the most important scheduled during the summer holidays. We chose talented children, but also those with a more difficult situation at home, hoping we will help them overcome difficulties”, Principal Damian Grigorovici explains.

Writing such projects, a constant concern

The experience in December was useful and pleasant for teachers as well as for their traines. Niculina Niţă trained a group of 30 teachers and said she was very happy with their reactions to the tasks assigned during training. Even if they had trouble, because some parts had to be written in English or French, all trainees managed to understand how a project for non-reimbursable funds must look like. “What I really liked was that they were very receptive about getting European funds. We’ve also had teachers from Sălaj, speakers of Hungarian. In the end, they were very happy and said they will always try to write such projects. The course was a success and I want to congratulate organisers”, Niculina Niță says.

Training for approaching any project, with local or international funds

During the Educația 2000+ projects, some 26 projects were written, and the deadline from submitting them was December 16th, 2011. All projects had to include 25% local specificity and 25% IT&C activities.

Practical elements in the training developed an interactive and dynamic learning system, both for experienced project authors and for beginners in the field.

All trainees benefited from theoretical and practical instruments which allow them to efficiently approach any type of project, with various sources of financing: local, national or international. The training will help them write, plan an implemented a project. Other financing programmes identified as priorities, for which projects were submitted, are: COMENIUS, Grundtvig, SOP HRD, Youth in Action (each having submission deadlines in the near future).

Online resources:

PAPI Sângeorgiu de Pădure: European funds and involvement in the community are vital to success

KEP communities have written eligible projects worth 240 million Euros