Rompetrol, in partnership with the Blejoi City Hall, is supporting children in the new school year by creating a learning space in the schoolyard, providing reading areas with new books, chess boards and manuals for the study of the game of chess, starting from the academic year 2023.
"The school in the backyard" is an outdoor educational space in the courtyard of Radu Tudoran Elementary School, with a total area of over 300 square meters, dedicated to the 242 students and teaching staff in Blejoi commune. It can be used to organize creative workshops, theater performances, as well as chess courses and competitions for students in the middle school cycle, even during school vacations. Outdoor education complements the traditional classroom learning, producing more powerful and lasting educational effects for the entire community.
Furthermore, reading rooms equipped with new books have been set up in the two schools in Blejoi and Ploieştiori, and children receive textbooks and chess boards for studying chess in the new school year.
"Education has multiple implications for the stability and social development, and economic prosperity of communities. We have been investing in education for over 25 years, from internship programs for future energy specialists, supporting vocational education in Prahova, donations to schools, partnerships with NGOs to facilitate access to education for all children, and human resources growth in this sector." - Luiza Moise, CFO of Rompetrol Well Services.
The investments in Blejoi have been made by Rompetrol Well Services, a member company of the Rompetrol Group (KMG International) headquartered in Ploieşti, with over 70 years of experience in specialized services for oil and natural gas wells, provided over the years to industry operators in Romania, Eastern Europe, Kazakhstan, Iraq, Jordan, and Turkey.
In Prahova County, Rompetrol also operates the Vega Refinery, the longest-standing local unit with over 110 years of experience, which has evolved from a classic oil refining unit into a producer and supplier of specialty products obtained exclusively from semi-finished materials supplied by the Petromidia refinery, as well as eight fuel distribution stations.
About the "Chess in Schools" Program:
“Chess in Schools” is an initiative launched in 2021 with the objective of introducing chess as a subject of study in schools across Romania. Over the past three years, physical and online chess lessons, visits, open classes, and chess competitions have been organized for children in Constanta and Prahova counties, as well as nationally and internationally.
Rompetrol has supported the development of a chess manual for the first three years of study, printed in over 35,000 copies and distributed to children in both urban and rural areas nationwide. In Romania, chess is not included in the regular school curriculum, but the benefits of this sport are evident, helping children apply logical thinking in their daily lives.
Results of the “Chess in Schools” project:
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Over 2,000 teachers involved.
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Since the start of the project, over 41,000 children have participated in training sessions for this mental sport, while 17,000 children have participated in chess events.
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In the last year, over 40,000 hours of chess have been supported.
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Over 35,000 manuals have been printed and distributed for free.
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Over 7,000 chess sets have been distributed free of charge to students.