Lidl Romania invests 2.65 million lei in quality education through the Teach for Romania program
Lidl Romania announces the results of the “Back to School” campaign, held between August 12 and September 1, 2024, as a result of which it donates 2.65 million lei to Teach for Romania, 1.15 million lei more than the previous year.
The amount donated by the retailer will contribute to the expansion of the program at the national level, by increasing the network of teachers and developing new educational resources.
In the new school year, with the support offered by Lidl Romania, 277 teachers and 400 alumni from the organization will reach 32 of counties in Romania and will concretely help over 35,000 children from vulnerable backgrounds to continue their studies and thus have equal chances for a better future.
Over 10% of the Teach for Romania cohort is directly supported by Lidl Romania Access to quality, relevant education for all children, regardless of their background, is still a challenge for Romanian society.
The country diagnosis, published by the World Bank in 2023, shows that gaps have widened and the overall performance of the education system remains very low. According to this report, in order to close the learning gap with their colleagues in Bucharest-Ilfov, students from the rest of the country would need, on average, more than two years of additional schooling. The motivation and level of training of the people at the department remain some of the most important factors that determine the school success of children and are a key resource for the development of Romanian society.
By recruiting and training a network of motivated and trained people, Teach for Romania brings to public schools from underprivileged environments not only teachers and learners, but real catalysts of change. Thus, through the support offered by Lidl Romania, in 2025, a community of over 277 teachers and school managers and 400 Teach for Romania alumni will be able to change the lives of children from these environments. Among them, at least 100 teachers and school managers will work in the region of Moldova. In total, over 10% of the Teach for Romania network, at the national level, will be directly supported by Lidl Romania, in 2025.
35,000 children from vulnerable backgrounds have an equal chance for a better future through education
In the classrooms where these teachers teach, new horizons are born for children who might otherwise have remained in the shadows. The result is an ever-evolving educational ecosystem where every student, regardless of starting point, finds the tools, support and encouragement needed to build their own path to success. In the next two years, with the help of the teachers supported by Lidl Romania, more than 35,000 children at national level, who come from disadvantaged backgrounds, will be helped to have equal chances for a better future through education. Of these, over 15,000 children come from the Moldova Region.
New educational resources, adapted to the needs of students from vulnerable backgrounds
In the 2024-2025 school year, with the financial resources directed by Lidl Romania, Teach for Romania aims to consolidate an innovative STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) program, adapted to the specific needs of children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
This approach aims not only to improve school performance, but also to prepare students for the challenges and opportunities of the future. In addition, Lidl becomes the main partner of the MENTO platform, an initiative that aims to provide relevant support to at least 2,000 specialists in the education system.
The platform will make accessible the training resources generated by Teach for Romania and will be a useful resource especially for teachers who choose to work in vulnerable schools. For 8 years, Lidl Romania has been supporting the Teach for Romania organization in the development of an inclusive, quality educational system, where teachers are prepared to meet the needs of all students in Romania.
Thanks to the amount that the retailer donates in 2024 following the “Back to School” campaign, the total investment within the partnership exceeds 13 million lei. Teach for Romania is a non-governmental organization, part of the global Teach for All network present in over 60 countries, which seeks and prepares valuable people, with or without previous teaching experience, to become teachers in state education, for children from vulnerable environments. In this way, the organization contributes to the provision of quality education.