The first 40 school minibuses, purchased by the Ministry of Education and Research with the support of the Romanian Government, were distributed today among educational institutions in the country. The vehicles will meet transportation needs of over a thousand students in 40 schools. Each minibus is a 16-seater equipped with an electronic stability control system, air conditioning and a low step entrance.

A total 69 minibuses were bought worth 74 million lei, with Romania contributing 70 million, and 4 million chipped in by the Moldovan Ministry of Education and Research. The other 29 buses are expected to arrive by the end of October.

Minister of Education Dan Perciun stated that every child must have access to quality education in a school where there are study conditions necessary for performance. “These buses are essential so that we can offer access to quality education for students in rural areas like elsewhere in the country. This is the most valuable thing we can offer in one’s life, the chance of fully unlocking their potential”, noted the minister.

Romania’s Ambassador Cristian-Leon Țurcanu said that this project in education represents a continuation of the support provided by Bucharest. School minibuses were also donated in 2014-2015, and there were multiple rehabilitation programs for kindergartens and schools in across Moldova. “Quality in education does not depend only on teachers, it also depends on the basic conditions that must be offered to children in all regions of the Republic of Moldova. With this installment of buses, we believe that we will contribute very seriously to the improvement of education quality”, said the official.

Attending the ceremony, Prime Minister Dorin Recean declared that the authorities put a special emphasis on the quality of education, and in this sense, mobility has an important role. “We must offer the chance for a high-quality education to all children everywhere in the country. And now we have this generous help from Bucharest on this dimension of education. I want to thank His Excellency, Cristian-Leon Țurcanu, because he always addresses matters in relation to Chisinau by putting in a lot of heart and care”, said Dorin Recean.

The minibuses were bough with funds coming from a 100 million euros grant provided by Romania for social and economic projects in Moldova.