The Ambassadors Early Education Initiative

On 5 February 2015, the 4th Annual Meeting of the Ambassadors’ Early Education Initiative was hosted by British Ambassador Paul Brummell and had as special guests the Minister of Education, Mr. Sorin Cimpeanu, and the State Secretary within the Ministry of Labour, Mr. Codrin Scutaru. Also participating were the Ambassadors of Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Israel, Netherlands, Switzerland, UK and USA.

Minister Cimpeanu and Secretary Scutaru expressed their commitment to getting every poor child in gradinita and their endorsement of food coupons (tichete social) as an incentive to increase preschool attendance of children living in poverty. They also explained their intent to issue an Ordin Interministerial to clarify the authority of government entities to allocate food coupons for this purpose. This is an important step toward getting literally Fiecare Copil in Romania in Gradinita by 2020.

From left to right: Ms. Cora Motoc (Senior Political Officer UK Embassy), Amb. Karsten Vagn Nielsen (Denmark), Amb. Ulla Väistö (Finland), Amb. Diego Brasioli (Italy), Amb. Dan Ben-Eliezer (Israel), Mr. Dante Stein, Amb. Jean-Hubert Lebet (Switzerland), Mr. Sorin Cimpeanu (Minister of Education), Amb. Werner Hans Lauk (Germany), Ms. Maria Gheorghiu (Cofounder OvidiuRo), Amb. Gerhard Reiweger (Austria), Amb. Matthijs van Bonzel (Netherland), Ms. Adriana Brummell, Amb. Paul Brummell (UK), Mr. Eduard Corjescu (Manager of Labor Legislation Department within Ministry Of Labor), Ms. Leslie Hawke (Cofounder OvidiuRo), Mr. Dean Thompson (Chargé d’Affaires US Embassy), Mr. Codrin Scutaru (State Secretary within the Ministry of Labour).