On Sunday, Chisinau City Hall held the Municipal Merit Awards Gala 2020 to encourage students, athletes and elderly people.

For the first time, the gala was organized on the occasion of the International Education Day, and the award ceremony of the municipal award winners was attended by the Mayor, Ion Ceban, the deputy mayor, Angela Cutasevici, heads of municipal departments, teachers and students.

In his speech, Ion Ceban thanked all teachers for their contribution to the education of young generations, the formation of personalities and the strengthening of human values. "Chisinau is a city that wants to learn, and our citizens are appreciated all over the world for their knowledge and skills. Education is the opportunity cost in life for everyone, that's why the municipality invests a lot in this field. And through the "Educație online" platform, we have crossed the borders of the republic, supporting the citizens who are abroad ", specified the mayor.

Deputy Mayor Angela Cutasevici noted that, for the second consecutive year, the city of Chisinau has aligned itself with European policies to promote the importance of lifelong learning. "We all have different opportunities to learn. Even the doctors learned, in the context of the fight against COVID-19 infection, and the pedagogues were forced by the situation to conduct classes with the help of digital tools. Lifelong learning is an imperative of time and a necessity for the development and prosperity of society, "said the deputy mayor.

During the ceremony, prizes were awarded to 64 students from general and extracurricular secondary education institutions, sports-, music-, fine arts and painting schools of the municipality, who obtained excellent learning results and exceptional performance in municipal, national and international contests, in various disciplines, including arts and sports. Also there were awarded 50 personalities proposed by the Culture Department, 77 doctors and representatives of medical staff, awarded by the General Department of Social Assistance and Health, as well as 2 elderly people.

The Municipal Merit Award for Encouraging Students, Athletes and the Elderly was established in 2013 and is awarded annually, for exceptional learning outcomes, in the fields of sport and fine arts, for active involvement in extracurricular activities, as well as it is awarded to the elderly, who have made an essential contribution to the spread of educational values.