In order to be admitted to a foreign high school, the Moldovan students need average grades of 9 or higher, whilst the high schools in Chisinau accept those with a mean above 5. Even so, 30 high schools in Chisinau have no more than one class per grade, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to the head of Chisinau’s education division, Tatiana Nagnibeda-Tverdohleb, out of all 83 high-schools found in the capital, 30 lack parallel classes because of the lack of students. “Children choose to study in professional schools rather than those with a baccalaureate cycle. Thus, it is the first time when we experience this kind of situation. Even in lyceums that don’t include the gymnasium cycle you can hardly fill 3 classes, let alone 5 or 6 as you used to.” said Tverdohleb. The situation in Chisinau’s suburbs isn’t any better. There are no high school classes in Budesti. Chisinau Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca has mentioned that this is the result of a mistake made 20 years ago, when a lot of high schools were opened and now, considering the current demographic situation, these are left without students. So, a part of them will be declared incomplete or endangered high schools. “It isn’t normal to have high schools with 2 names – complete/incomplete or endangered. Things need to be changed in time, not through shock methods, when parents need to think about how to act next, where to go to be closer to the educational institution. I don’t see how this situation, the lack of classes in high schools, will be explained to the parents and teachers”, declared Chirtoaca. The educational system in Moldova includes 1460 pre-university, 1400 pre-school, 66 professional secondary education establishments, 46 colleges and 34 universities (19 state-funded and 15 private ones).