On November 3, the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia adopted the so-called “education law”, which mandates the compulsory teaching of the Gagauz language and multilingual education – in Gagauz, Russian, Romanian, and other languages, reports the IPN correspondent in Comrat.
In an explanatory note, it is mentioned the necessity of “restoring scientific objectivity” in teaching the history of Gagauzia and the discipline “The history of Romanians and universal”.
A portion of the deputies insist that the main languages of instruction should be Russian and Gagauz, not Romanian. They also brought up the example of the IT college, where, according to the decision of the Ministry of Education, the language of instruction will be Romanian.
The member of the People’s Assembly from Comrat, Alexandru Diulgher, noted the circulation of three languages in Gagauzia: Gagauz, Russian, and Moldovan, which in the legislation of autonomy has not been changed to Romanian).
The Rector of the State University of Comrat, Serghei Zaharia, stated that students successfully pass their baccalaureate exams. However, local officials believe that this does not guarantee mastery of terminology.
The new legislative code also stipulates the mandatory study of Gagauz history and culture. Rector Zaharia noted that the current textbook only covers the last 30 years and requested the material to be supplemented.
In response to some deputies’ question whether the Ministry of Education and Research received conclusions on the bill, the head of the General Education Directorate from UTA Gagauzia, Natalia Cristeva, pointed out that consultation with the central authorities is not necessary.
MEC emphasizes, in a comment issued on Thursday, November 6, that the local normative act in the field of education, adopted by the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia at the meeting on November 3, seriously violates the provisions of the national legislation regarding the competencies of public authorities. According to MEC, territorial autonomy cannot replace the competencies of central authorities nor can it establish its own standards in the field of education, outside the national normative framework.
In March, the authorities in Comrat criticized the new history textbook for the twelfth grade, accusing the authors of distorting facts and showing a lack of respect for Gagauzia. At that time, the deputies proposed the creation of their own educational materials – an idea that laid the foundation for the new law.
