Schoolkids ready for Moldova’s democracy – with Swiss help

A popular subject in Moldova schools is Education for Society. It is a prime example of progressive pedagogy and receives a major part of its funding from Swiss sources. SWI swissinfo.ch visited a Russian- and a Romanian-language school to see how it works. The Constantin Sibirschi school in Chisinau has a long tradition that goes back to the Soviet era. Class photos from several generations are to be seen on the building’s stout walls, some in black and white, the more recent ones in colour. “Many who got to know each other here, married later,” recalls the principal, Aurelia Andries, who also studied here. She is very grateful to her own teachers. “My history teacher always got us to make connections between what is happening now and historical events,” says Andries. All the faces in the photographs on the walls did not experience the same kind of teaching. The Soviet days required a lot of reading between the lines. “There was heavy censorship. We had to try to express our ...