Călin and the Sound of Inclusion

In 2025, UNICEF equipped 95 schools with assistive technologies, with financial support from the Global Partnership for Education, the European Union, the Government of Japan, and the Government of the United States. 

Călin stands next to the bell, focused and eager. He knows that in just a few moments, he will press it and call the children to class. His mother, Valentina Cociu, stays quietly nearby, not only as a parent, but also as a support teacher in the same school. She knows that right after Călin signals the start of the lesson, he will come to her for a kiss on the forehead. It’s their ritual, a simple gesture filled with trust and closeness.

Over time, this moment has become part of the school’s rhythm. Students and teachers know that the bell for the first two lessons belongs to Călin. For him, this role brings a sense of order and responsibility. For others, it is a lesson in empathy and acceptance.

Călin is 12 years old and studies at “Alecu Russo” Theoretical High School in the village of Cojușna. He benefits from partial inclusion and a modified curriculum in core subjects. Over time, school has become not just a place of learning for him, but a space where he feels comfortable and safe.

Valentina says with a smile, “I think he’s the only child who gets upset when the holidays begin. He especially enjoys the activities in the Inclusive Education Resource Center, particularly the tablet, the interactive display, and the talking pen. With their help, he is able to communicate more easily, using images to express what he wants and how he feels.”
 

Even though he is sensitive to certain sounds outside of school, here they don’t bother him, on the contrary, they give him a sense of comfort. Physical education classes are among his favorites, especially when he plays basketball. Out of ten shots, nine go straight into the hoop, and his classmates, amazed, applaud him. 

Valentina, between two roles, with the same mission

Călin was three years old and not speaking. He didn’t respond when called by his name, and this became the beginning of many questions for Valentina.

“I was in denial for a while. I was looking for quick solutions—medication, vitamins—hoping for a miracle. I listened to stories that seemed similar to ours, with happy endings, where the child suddenly began to speak. I didn’t want to see the other difficulties, especially the fact that he didn’t interact easily with others.”

It took time for acceptance to take shape. “As a family, we went through a transformation—like a metamorphosis from a caterpillar into a butterfly. We changed because of him. We learned to encourage him, to listen to him, and to give him the space he needs to grow. One day, Călin gave me a colorful butterfly. I saw it as a sign that we were on the right path. I framed it, and it became our symbol.”

During the same period, Valentina decided to return to work after her parental leave. She had been a Romanian and French language teacher, but upon her return, she was offered the role of a support teacher, on a part-time basis.

“It was something new for me. But working with students with special educational needs helped me better understand my own child and what autism means. I became more attentive to what affects Călin—sounds, light, noise. I learned to understand his emotions, to anticipate his reactions, and to manage them with patience.”

Today, Călin’s progress is visible. “He speaks in fragments, using the first syllables of the words that interest him, and when the words are simple, he pronounces them clearly. To others, these may seem like small steps, but for us, they are big achievements.”

Technology as a Tool for Inclusion

The high school is attended by 20 children with special educational needs. The institution is among the 95 schools equipped with assistive technologies. In 2025, UNICEF, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Research and with financial support from the Global Partnership for Education, the European Union, the Government of Japan, and the Government of the United States, invested over 17 million MDL to support these interventions in schools.

Interactive displays, educational software, multisensory learning devices, and alternative communication tools have become a natural part of the educational process. They give children the opportunity to actively participate, explore, and learn at their own pace.

“For typically developing children, these technologies are engaging and motivating. But for children with special educational needs, they are essential—especially for those with autism, who face challenges in speech, communication, and social interaction,” explains Valentina.

“With the help of these tools, they can show us what they want, express their emotions, and develop their language. We can adapt tasks to their abilities and support them in pronouncing certain words correctly.”

In her role as a support teacher, and as the mother of a child with special educational needs, Valentina says that inclusion makes a real difference.

“It is very important for students with special educational needs to be alongside typically developing children. It helps them socialize, observe, and adopt behaviors from those around them. And their classmates learn to be more friendly and empathetic.”

At the same time, she emphasizes that this process does not happen on its own.

“It takes a team: the teacher, the parent, and the child. Just as a parent of a child with special educational needs needs time for acceptance and understanding, teachers, students, and their parents also need time to adapt.”

Călin’s homeroom teacher, Ecaterina Baciu, says, “Călin has integrated very well into the class. The atmosphere has become more united and empathetic because of him. Day by day, he offers us valuable examples of what patience and friendship truly mean. He is a child who reminds us how important it is to be kind to one another.”

When asked what she wishes most for Călin, Valentina answers with emotion that she hopes he will be accepted and understood in society—“that he will be surrounded by kind people, tolerant, empathetic, and friendly… just like the colleagues I work with and Călin’s classmates.”

UNICEF, together with the Ministry of Education and Research, supports the implementation of the “Education 2030” Strategy and the Inclusive Education Development Programme 2024–2027, which aims for 80% of schools in the Republic of Moldova to be equipped with support tools by 2027.

For children like Călin, these changes mean more than access to education—they mean the chance to be seen, understood, and accepted.