Nearly 100 Moldovan schools equipped with assistive tools for students with special needs
Children with special educational needs from 95 schools in the Republic of Moldova will have access to assistive equipment valued at over 17 million lei (approximately 1 million USD). This initiative is supported by UNICEF, along with the European Union, the Global Partnership for Education, the Governments of Japan and the United States.
The equipment provided includes Braille machines and boards, video magnifiers, screen reading software, augmentative communication applications, and adapted keyboards. The average value of the equipment for each school is approximately 160,000 lei. Minister of Education and Research, Dan Perciun, emphasized, “A good school is an inclusive one, where every child has the chance to learn and realize their potential.”
In the districts of Cahul and Ungheni, the EU4Moldova: Key Regions program, in collaboration with UNICEF and UNDP, distributed around 500 sets of equipment to 20 institutions, with a total value of 2.32 million lei, according to a statement from the Ministry of Education and Research (MEC).
Iwona Piórko, the European Union Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova, stated, “Inclusive education is the foundation of a fair and strong society.”
“Access to assistive technology is not just about inclusion—it is a transformative process,” stated Maha Damaj, UNICEF Country Representative in the Republic of Moldova.
During the 2023 academic year, over 10,300 children with special educational needs were enrolled in general education, including 4,219 children with disabilities, which represents approximately 3% of the total student population. UNICEF, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, is supporting the implementation of the "Education 2030" Strategy and the Program for the Development of Inclusive Education 2024–2027. This program aims to ensure that by 2027, 80% of schools in the country will have the necessary support equipment.
