Minister of Education advocates for technology

Modern education requires technology, whether we like it or not. Minister of Education, Ligia Deca, stated that technology can become an ally, "if we know how to use it safely,' and emphasized that one of the key competencies in a graduate's profile is digital literacy. Ligia Deca said, "Before discussing education and what we do to feel safer and, most importantly, to learn how to protect ourselves from online dangers, I would like to acknowledge Google's efforts to contribute to this type of education. One of the projects through which we can help entire educational communities understand how to be safe online and, most importantly, how to teach others to be safe is "Internet Heroes,' probably the most visible project in this regard.'

Ligia Deca noted that various types of funds are being invested: "Digital literacy is one of the key competencies in a graduate's profile. This means that we are monitoring it from early education to the highest level of learning. Of course, in early education, we teach basic concepts so that as children progress, they learn online behaviors, how to guard against dangers, specific digital skills, coding, and the use of different elements. We have many projects in partnership with universities, the private sector, and associations to increase the level of digital competence, primarily among educators, who can then use technology in the teaching/learning process.' Deca mentioned a focus on online safety through the national program to combat violence in schools: "There are projects like the one presented today by Google, "Internet Heroes,' to protect our children from online dangers, but at the same time, we have a series of initiatives. For example, the training of 100,000 teachers in digital competencies, which will take place through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. We already have a number of teachers trained, even during the pandemic when they used devices and learning technologies. We also want to expand this to high schools and introduce digital education concepts into other subjects and in early education and primary education (...) Digitalization and access to online resources are a constant in any discipline, which is why new pedagogical approaches do not ignore digital resources but incorporate them into the educational experience.' The Minister emphasized that, in addition to the education provided to children in schools, parents also need to be educated: "We need to educate parents as well. I am a parent myself, and I have read a lot about screen exposure, educational applications that stimulate a child's development compared to applications that are more emotionally draining. I believe that we need guidelines for the use of social networks, online devices, the meaning of quality content online, and other types of content.'

These statements were made at the "Cybersecurity: Innovation and Education' event organized by Google on the occasion of European Cybersecurity Month."