- More than 20,000 students developed their digital and practical skills during the 2023-2024 school year, by taking part in the „School of the Future” activities, developed by Vodafone Foundation and included in the curriculum provided to schools by Junior Achievement (JA) Romania.
- 841 teachers from 440 schools created, together with their students, practical classroom learning experiences by accessing the project activities.
- The „School of the Future” activities provided the first experience of developing digital skills for almost 70% of the participating students.
Bucharest, July 9, 2024 – The second edition of the „School of the Future is Coming to JA Schools” project, organized by Junior Achievement (JA) Romania in partnership with Vodafone Foundation, provided, during the 2023-2024 school year, the opportunity for 20,654 primary and middle school students to attend interactive lessons on environment, modern art or online security, all of which were integrated through the use of programming languages, artificial intelligence and concepts such as the „Internet of Things”, with an emphasis on learning through discovery.
68% of all participating students experienced for the first time digital literacy activities. According to the teachers with whom students worked in the classrooms, among the skills most developed as a result of the School of the Future activities were: digital and information literacy, communicating and collaborating in the digital environment, and online safety, especially safeguarding electronic devices and protecting personal data.
In order to ensure the best possible delivery of the activities available through the JA Romania and School of the Future platforms, more than 1,000 teachers took part in face-to-face and online training sessions. Following these sessions, activities available on the School of the Future platform were used in classrooms by more than 800 teachers in 440 schools across 241 Romanian localities, with the aim of combining digital skills with professional areas essential for community development. Students were encouraged to use technology responsibly and integrate it sustainably into their daily activities.
„The «School of the Future» project succeeded in capturing the interest of both girls and boys thanks to its variety of activities, that were an effective way of experiential and cooperative learning about IoT and the environment. The project activities helped create the conditions for developing social skills, training & practicing digital skills, and building motivation for learning.” – Teacher, Middle School “Sfantul Andrei“, Bucharest.
„I knew about the «School of the Future» because I went through various activities on the platform together with my father. I was glad to have such activities in my homeroom classes. I really enjoyed creating using the Scratch platform.” – Student, Middle School No. 97, Bucharest.
As part of a dedicated component of the School of the Future Network project, following a public call, 50 schools were equipped with technology kits that allow the use of augmented reality and the access to special content on the provided equipment. This enabled 6,000 students to use nonstandard materials for interactive experiences, where pieces of recycled aluminum and cardboard became technical components and Merge cubes became pyramids or planets of the Solar System.
„We will continue to include the «School of the Future» resources in our school activities, because they are engaging, attractive and help in developing all kinds of skills, not just digital ones.” – Teacher, Middle School “George Tutoveanu“, Barlad, Vaslui County.
At the end of the project, six school units with the most active involvement in the project received financial support for equipment: Middle School No 9 „Nicolae Orghidan”, Brasov; Middle School „Mircea Santimbreanu” and Middle School „Sfantul Andrei”, Bucharest; Middle School Sacalaz, Beregsau Mare (Timis County); Middle School „Ion Petrovici”, Tecuci (Galati County); Middle School „Virgil Iovanas”, Sofronea (Arad County).
The „School of the Future is Coming to JA Schools” project is JA Romania and Vodafone Foundation’s approach to support modern education and prepare students for the challenges of the future through the experiences promoted by the two organizations at international level, in order to promote practical learning, improve educational outcomes and give students essential skills to start their professional careers.
About Vodafone Romania Foundation
For 25 years we have been combining our resources and those of our partners to build inclusive and sustainable projects together. We use technology and social innovation and invest around €2 million annually in the development of disadvantaged communities in Romania. We modernize neonatal intensive care units and support digital education programs that prepare children and young people for the jobs of the future. Together with other Vodafone foundations around the world, our goal is to improve the lives of 400 million people by 2025.
We are a Romanian non-governmental organization founded in 1998, with charitable status, distinct and independent from the commercial operations of Vodafone Romania.
More details about our programs can be found at www.fundatia-vodafone.ro, http://jurnaldebine.fundatia-vodafone.ro/ and www.facebook.com/fundatiavodafone.
About School of the Future
“School of the Future“ is part of the Skills Upload Jr. program – a Vodafone Foundation initiative in 13 countries, created to encourage educators and students to develop critical thinking and to use digital technologies creatively.
About Junior Achievement (JA) România
Junior Achievement (JA) Romania, a nonprofit organization, was founded in 1993 and is part of JA Worldwide® USA and JA Europe. Junior Achievement is the largest international organization for entrepreneurship, economic and financial education, for professional guidance and life skills development, with its programs followed in 40 countries in Europe and over 100 around the world. In Romania, JA’s applied learning programs are followed annually by more than 267,000 school and university students from 1,957 educational institutions and are held locally in partnership with the Ministry of Education, educational institutions and the business community. In 2023, the organization climbed into the Top 10 NGOs in the world for the fifth time, and in 2024 it received its third Nobel Peace Prize nomination. More details are available at www.jaromania.org.
