Investing in education: Gagauz language courses introduced in kindergartens
The Ministry of Education and Research (MEC) allocated over 290,000 lei to fund continuing education courses for educators teaching the Gagauz language in autonomous regions. A total of 74 teachers from 56 early education institutions will participate in these courses.
Natalia Croitor teaches Gagauz and Romanian at Kindergarten No. 1 in Comrat. She believes that additional training will enhance her teaching.
"We speak with the children in Romanian one day and in Gagauz the next. All daily routine activities are conducted in Gagauz. While we know the language and teach it to the children, we've noticed that grammar can be overlooked, and we need to refresh our knowledge to ensure we speak beautifully and that our language remains rich and expressive."
"Children love the language, but the staff must use it daily. Regardless of their level of proficiency, they need to learn," says teacher Elena Ostaș.
The courses will commence on August 1 and will be structured into two modules. The first module will focus on linguistic skills, aimed at developing communication in the Gagauz language. The second module will be psychopedagogical, concentrating on the application of modern teaching methods for instructing in the mother tongue.
"The preservation of the Gagauz language is an issue we must address here. The autonomy was established to protect our language and culture. There is no other place in the world where the Gagauz language can be preserved, except within this autonomy," stated the head of state, Maia Sandu.
"This marks the beginning of a new state program dedicated to promoting the Gagauz language. Currently, we have 12,000 students studying Gagauz and 115 teachers throughout the autonomy," said the Minister of Education, Dan Perciun.
Last year, the Ministry of Education published 9,400 textbooks in the Gagauz language for students in grades 5 to 9.
