System of training of vocational education staff to be improved in Moldova

Chisinau, 19 July /MOLDPRES/ - The cabinet of ministers, at a today’s meeting, approved a draft law on the amendment and completion of the Education Code, in order to ensure a system of training staff for the pre-school and primary education institutions and for different sectors of the national economy in the post-secondary vocational education.  

The Education Ministry said that admission to specialized secondary schools, pedagogical specialties based on gymnasium education, had not been organized since 2012. The training of teachers is made only in higher education institutions. Data of the last three years shows that the number of vacant positions of educators and teachers is continuously rising. Thus, while in 2015, an insufficiency of 184 educators and 71 teachers was recorded, in 2017, this insufficiency grew to 437 and 203, respectively. The number of graduates at the aforementioned specialties is decreasing too.       

At the same time, the official statistics shows that 12.6 per cent of all the teachers are pensioners. In the primary and secondary general education, teachers aged over 60 years account for 15.7 per cent, with the ages between 50 and 59 years – 26.3 per cent and the teachers with the age up to 30 years account for 11.9 per cent.

The draft provides for the downward change of the minimum requirements of qualification for the occupation of teachers’ positions in the early education and primary education. Also, the draft sees training of staff in the syllabi of post-secondary vocational education based on gymnasium studies, with duration of education of 4-5 years. These syllabi end with the compulsory taking of the vocational school-leaving exam for pupils with gymnasium education and with obligatory taking of the qualification examination for those who studied based on the school graduation diploma. The list of the auxiliary teaching staff will be completed with a new position – assistant of educator.

The draft law is to be submitted to parliament for consideration.

(Reporter V. Bercu, editor M. Jantovan)