Campaign prompting young people to study at pedagogical faculties, motivating teachers to remain in system launched in Moldova

Chisinau, 27 March /MOLDPRES/ - The Education, Culture and Research Ministry will carry out more actions to prompt young people to study at pedagogical faculties and motivate teachers to remain in the system. These actions are part of the campaign, I Want to Be Teacher, launched in Chisinau today.       

At the campaign’s launch, Education, Culture and Research Minister Monica Babuc said that more than 2,000 teachers are absent from education institutions of Moldova at present. Most vacant jobs are in kindergartens, where over 400 teachers are needed. More than 200 teachers are necessary in the primary education. At the same time, the schools of Moldova are looking for over 200 teachers of mathematics, 100 teachers of Romanian language and the same number of teachers of physics.   

Monica Babuc noted that, in the last years, the authorities had undertaken more actions to back teachers and motivate them to remain in the system. Among them, there is the increase, starting from 1 January 2019, of the state allowance from 45,000 lei to 120,000 lei for young specialists with higher education and from 36,000 lei to 96,000 lei for colleges’ graduates.    

At the same time, the teachers’ salaries were increased as well. The state secretary at the Education, Culture and Research Ministry, Angela Cutasevici, said that, while before the salary reform, the salary for all teachers had been 3,550 lei, following the reform, the minimum salary of a teacher debutant in the general education is 5,050 lei, of educators - 4,880 lei and of the teachers of the primary education – about 5,000 lei.  

„We are trying to bring to knowledge all changes from the last two years, dealing with the work of teachers, including the increase in salaries and growth of the allowance for young specialists, possibility to teach in easier conditions than the teachers with length of service. We want to inform about these improvements of the state of things in the education system and the prospects we continue to edify. We found out that a lot of people, beginning with students up to teachers with length of service, from pupils to parents, who would be interested in this profession, do not know these things,” Monica Babuc said.    

The launch of the campaign took place at the Chisinau-based Alexei Mateevici pedagogical college and the Education Ministry took advantage of the occasion to exchange opinions with young people who make pedagogical studies. The young persons said the teachers were those who lay the foundation of the society. According to the young people, the small number of graduates of gymnasium and lyceum choosing the profession of teacher can be explained including by the fear of responsibility.     

Among the actions due to be organized within the campaign, I Want to Be Teacher, there are contests of essays, working out of advertising spots and holding meetings with the participation of pupils and parents.