e-VACANTA! program reaches second edition  Publish date: Monday , 06-08-2007  Community topic: Education  Editorial domain: Education e-VACANTA! 2007 continues the 2006 successful initiative, when ver 2.200 pupils and teachers chose to spend the summer holiday at school, voluntering for the realization of the program’s activities. The second edition of e-VACANTA! program, organized by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has started being implemented in the upper secondary schools within the Knowledge Economy Project. „All schools within the project ensured us of their full support for the follow-up of the e- VACANTA! initiative. The school from Aninoasa found the activities ae interesting and promoting the principles of a school open to the community, while fom Pilu we found out that the teachers wanted to teach paretns how to use the IT&C equipments. These are only two examples of the utility of e-VACANTA! in each community, based on local needs and specifics”, said Balint Porcsalmi, State Secretary of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. At the same time, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology announced the partnership with the Ministry of Education, Research and Youth, in order to implement e-VACANTA! program nationwide. The initiative will be replicated in upper secondary schools equipped with IT&C infrastructure, who wish to offer children an educative, creative and interactive holiday. "By signing the partnerhip with the Ministry of Communications we certify our interest to encourage the use of latest technologies by pupils and teachers in the summer holiday. We belive that by facilitating the access to existing IT resources in schools, this porgram can stimulate the individual study, the development of educational activities and the capitalization of their creativity”, said Zvetlana Preoteasa, State Secretary for Preuniversitary Education, Ministry of Education, Research and Youth. Within the Knowledge Economy Project, this year’s edition of e-VACANTA! is made of four activities which promote childen and teachers’ creativity in a latest generation technological environment. Nationwide the e-VACANTA! program is formed by six optional activities and will be monitored by the Ministry of Education, Research and Youth. The representatives of schools promoting all six activities at the highest level will be part of the Workgroup fot the promotion of IT&C in education. The group will act as expertise community with consultative role in implementing educational policies regarding the integratin of IT&C instruments in the educational process beginning with 2007-2008 school year. Source: MCTI