The collection of informal taxes in the education system by parents committees is illegal. This is the message transmitted by the public association “Parinti Solidari” (“Solidary Parents”), the Resource Center for Human Rights (CReDO) and the Student National Anticorruption Center. The signatories of a public call express their concern about the diversification of types of informal taxes and appearance of new taxes, lack of transparency in education institutions and of effective methods for protecting informers. Representatives of the three associations call on all the decision makers to take real and effective measures to prevent and fight corruption and ensure an integral and transparent education system.
In a news conference at IPN, the representative of “Solidary Parents” Ala Revenco said that meetings with parents are usually held in education institutions at the start of the new school year and all kinds of illegal taxes start to be collected in these. The purpose of the parents committees is actually to support the education process and to supervise the management of the institution’s budget, not to collect money. The collection of illegal taxes affects the image of the teaching staff and creates the impression that other illegalities are also committed in the institutions where illegal payments are collected.
Ala Revenco noted that about 1 million lei is collected annually at a kindergarten in Chisinau. In some of the institutions, this sum is twice higher or even larger. The use of public funds and other sources allocated to education institutions should be transparent and reports on the identified acts of corruption and imposed disciplinary punishment should be published quarterly. As regards the contributions made by parents, these should be voluntary and transparent and the goods purchased by parents should be included in a register. Now each generation purchases goods and it is not clear what happens to those bought earlier.
CReDO representative Olga Batca said the amounts collected in education institutions are much higher than the strictly necessary sums, especially in kindergartens. A parents association should be registered with the Ministry of Justice and parents can joint this on a voluntary basis. The made donations should be confirmed by a check or a banking document. Transparent financial reports should be worked out and the management of budgets should be participatory.
Olga Batca noted a problem is now witnessed as to the opportunities of reporting cases of corruption. For example, the hotline of the Ministry of Education works inefficiently or practically does not work. The authorities should react appropriately to parents’ complaints, according to a uniform practice. Ethics Councils should be set up at education institutions to examine such complaints at internal level.
Sanda Sandu, of the Student National Anticorruption Center, said transparency in the use of extra-budgetary funds by education institutions should be increased and the role of representatives of parents and students in preventing and fighting system corruption in the education system should be improved. The young woman referred mainly to the university education system, saying this becomes a hotbed of corruption, while the lack of transparency is the key problem.
Sanda Sandu also said that corruption has different forms in universities. For example, a student who is not in the country can pass the exams and obtain a diploma. Protectionism and nepotism and the obligation to purchase textbooks for teachers are also among the existing problems. The students fear to report cases of corruption and it is thus important to ensure the anonymity of the informer or revenge could be taken otherwise.
The signatories urge to report cases of corruption in the education system through the informal channel of civil society and the existing official means, such as parintisolidari@gmail.com, Facebook page - Parinti Solidari as a temporary hotline, and the hotline of the National Anticorruption Center 0 800 55555 or through www.cna.md.
