Moldovan education minister says Education Ministry in 2023 puts emphasis on backing teachers, improving conditions in education institutions

Chisinau, 29 December /MOLDPRES/ - The Education and Research Ministry (MEC) in 2023 has put emphasis on the support of teachers and the improvement of the conditions at the education institutions. Education and Research Minister Dan Perciun today made statements to this effect while unveiling the report on the ministry’s work for this tear.    

„Among the principal achievements, we can mention a 15-per cent increase in the salaries of the teachers starting from 1 January 2024 and a 21-per cent growth for the research sector employees. Also, for the first time this year, decision-makers established one-off payments worth 5,000 lei for the teachers and auxiliary staff from the education institutions. We launched the pilot project, We Invest in Teachers, within which 800 teachers benefited from free of charge re-qualifications and about 3,000 teachers benefited from free of charge continuous training,’’ Dan Perciun said.   

At the same time, the minister noted that the process of de-bureaucratization in education had recently started; the external evaluation of the education institutions was ceased and some reports, regarded as useless, were reduced; the compulsoriness of reporting for the allocation of 4,000 lei, meant for purchasing teaching materials, was excluded too.   

Also this year, 33 new titles of textbooks were edited and another 67 are to be printed next year. ‘’We launched a project with the World Bank worth almost 50 million dollars, due to start next year. We allocated, with the World Bank’s support, 25 million euros for the modernization of seven universities and six pedagogical colleges from Moldova, with the money due to be used for endowments, equipment, renovations and improvement of the education’s quality. We allocated 23 million lei for the repair of student hostels. We doubled the scholarships for the students studying pedagogy; the prizes were doubled for the students winners at Olympiads and national and international contests,’’ the minister noted.        

The official also said the 2023 year had been very good for sportspeople of Moldova. ‘’We got the largest number of medals in the country’s history. MEC contributed a record sum – the biggest budget in history  for financing the sport – 63 million lei was earmarked to this end. The scholarships for the performance sportspeople were doubled,’’ the education minister stressed.    

Dan Perciun also referred to the plans for the 2024 year. He specified that the implementation of the project, The Model School, would be continued, which implies the creation of a network of 35 education institutions, one in each district, with two million euro due to be invested in each of these schools.