Government will approve "Restart in Education" reform
The "Restart in Education" reform project is set to be approved by the Government at its next meeting, with plans for a first reading vote in Parliament by the end of July, as announced by Dan Perciun, the acting Minister of Education and Research. This reform aims to transform the administration of education by shifting school management responsibilities from the local level to newly established territorial education agencies that will operate under the ministry's oversight.
One of the major challenges facing the Republic of Moldova today is that a child's access to quality education, skilled teachers, and well-equipped laboratories largely depends on their birthplace and the school they attend. To address this disparity, it is crucial to adopt a more uniform national approach to school management. Currently, there is significant variation due to differing practices across education departments, particularly among district councils that oversee schools, as stated by the acting Minister of Education.
Discussions on the proposed education reform continued throughout the week, with the most contentious dialogue occurring with representatives from the General Directorate of Education, Youth, and Sports of the Chisinau municipality. They oppose the changes and wish to maintain control over their schools, as noted by Dan Perciun.
"Our discussions were sometimes heated. Our message was straightforward: let's keep politics out of these conversations and focus on technical discussions based on data and evidence. There are many relevant questions to consider. The process of transferring schools to the Ministry of Education's management will not be simple. It’s important to debate and discuss these issues in good faith, starting from our shared objective of improving the education system while setting aside political comments and personal attacks," added Dan Perciun.
The capital's administration, along with Mayor Ion Ceban, strongly opposes the reform and has suggested organizing a local referendum. They argue that teachers, educational institution managers, and non-teaching staff directly affected by the reform should have a say in its implementation.
Recently, the General Directorate of Education, Youth, and Sports of the Chisinau municipality requested a suspension of the reform until an independent assessment of the legal, financial, and administrative implications of the proposed changes is conducted.
The Ministry of Education and Research has stated that it will review all proposals and objections to the draft law during August and will suggest possible amendments before the final vote in Parliament.
