School year start festivities were held in over 1,300 primary schools, secondary schools and lyceums of the country on September 1. About 33,000 children go to the first class this year, IPN reports.

Minister of Education Corina Fusu transmitted a message, saying that the big vacation is over and a new school year starts today. “Now that the path to knowledge, school and your activities was resumed, I wish you a good start. Let this new education year, 2016-2017, bring you a lot of joy. Let courage accompany you, while the effort you make should bring you great satisfaction so that you have connections all over the world. I wish you all a successful school year. Have courage to deal with the new challenges. Success and remarkable results,” reads the message.

The students of the Theoretical Lyceum “Gheorghe Asachi” in Chisinau were met by the priest of “Saint Teodora de la Sihla” Church Ioan Ciuntu, who told them that when leaves in vineyards go brown and the travelling birds prepare to leave, the children are awaited at school with love. “Let our language express what God put best in us. Work to achieve good results. Let God give you power, a lot of light and wisdom. I wish you harmony between you and the teaching staff,” he stated.

The lyceum’s principal Boris Volosatyi noted that on the 25th anniversary of the country’s independence, we must ask ourselves how our ancestors would judge us, what Stephan the Great would say and what Michael the Brave would think about our actions. “In the name of the teaching staff, I welcome you to the oldest education institution in the area between the Prut and Nistru Rivers,” he said, addressing the students.

According to the principal, about 200 children will attend the first grade at the Lyceum “Gheorghe Asachi” this year. The ninth-twelfth grades include 110 students. “I assure the parents that they made a correct choice when they enrolled their children at our institution. You will convince yourselves of this in several years,” he stated.

About 340,000 students will study at the primary schools, secondary schools and lyceums of Moldova during the 2016-2017 school year. In connection with the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the declaration of the country’s independence, the first class of the new school year was entitled “Republic of Moldova – a quarter of century”.