Activity report for 1996(PDF) - Soros Foundation Moldova

SUMMER SCHOOLThis summer school demonstrated the usefulnessand importance of such programs. These kind ofcamps have an important role in developing andeducating pupils and facilitating the exchange of ideasand opinions among gifted children and teachers fromall over the country. Analysing the work of the camp,discussions focused on ways to make it moreinteresting and efficient. One proposal was to join allthe camps organised by the Foundation; participantswould benefit not only of the course in a specific area,but also could take courses in English, HealthEducation, Debate.A two-day seminar was organised at the end of thecamp for computer teachers from the schoolsparticipating in the ComSoros Program, discussingthe problems in education, as well as technicalaspects of working with laboratories.In a tight collaboration with the New InformationTechnologies Centre computer courses were organizedfor teachers of computer technology, chemistry,biology, physics, and courses for administrators oflyceums participating in the Program.Expenditures: $ 18,940.00DEVELOPMENT OF THE EXISTING LABORATORIESDuring the past three years computers were donatedin this Program, which are no longer performing. Inthe spring of 1996 a contest was announced formodernising the donated laboratories. 15 schoolsparticipated; their requests were rather different, butanalysis has shown similarities. The experts’commission decided to define stan-dards for all theschools, and they were:- Server PC16MbRAM/1Gb/HDD/FDD/1Mb SVGA/CD-ROM+sound Card /Modem/NIC- PC8Mb RAM/540-850 Mb HDD/FDD/NIC- PrinterDue to the tender announced for this program it waspossible to buy licensed software from the MicrosoftCompany.The program package consisted of:- Microsoft Windows 95 (1 license)- Microsoft Windows for Workgroups (10 licenses)- Microsoft Office for Windows 95 (1 license)The children using these laboratories will have thepossibility to work with modern programs packs andstudy the net work.As a part of this program books were bought anddonated for didactic and extracurricular reading.Expenditures: $ 40,985.00NEW METHODS OF TEACHINGThe idea introduced new methods in teaching thediscipline, using multiplication and modelingequipment. For this purpose 10 printers and projectorswere bought. As a result of the discussions about theprogram operating it was decided to do it in the frameof Modernisation of Humanities Program. Theequipment was donated on a contest basis to thepilot schools.Expenditures: $ 29,898.00During the year schools - beneficiaries of theComSoros Program were visited in order to evaluatethe efficient using of the laboratories and theequipment security.In November 1996 at the general school in Mereni,Anenii Noi district 7 computers were stolen from thelab donated in 1995. The commission which wentthere found serious infringements on the donationcontract: the alarm did not function, two computerswere at the director’s and computer professor homes.A meeting of the Education Council of the SorosFoundation made the decision to withdraw the rest ofequipment. Also a meeting with the directors andcomputer professors of the schools participating inthe ComSoros Program was organised, where thesecurity of the equipment was discussed.OTHER PROJECTSDuring 1996 a series of new projects were brought tothe Foundation, which we tried to support asa c t i v i t y r e p o r t ‘ 9 6 35