Only less than half of the necessary 1,000 logopedists work currently in Moldova. Even if the specialty is in great demand, not many go to work at education or health institutions where logopedists are needed owing to the low salaries. A part of those who obtained a diploma of logopedist choose to open private offices.

University lecturer Adriana Ciobanu, head of the Special Psychopedagogy Department of the State Teacher Training University “Ion Creanga”, said their university is the only education institution in the country that trains logopedists. Logopedy is taught at the Social Psychopedagogy specialty, for the second-cycle master’s degree, being a follow-up to specialization. Currently, there are 27 first-year master’s degree students and 18 second-year master’s degree students.

Adriana Ciobanu stated that it would be ideal for a logopedist to work in any education institution, but most of the general kindergartens and schools do not have such a specialist because the salaries do not attract these.

“They generally say that the logopedists are necessary and ask for logopedists in kindergartens, especially when the child must be trained for school. At the age of six-seven years, the children often have language disorders. When the parents ask for a logopedist, the institution’s director says there are not enough financial resources for hiring a specialist,” said Adriana Ciobanu.

When a child with speech impediments is not assisted by professionals, psychological problems can appear. At school, a stammering child can isolate himself from the others and severe personality problems appear, such as a pathological fear or longo-neurosis, which is a more accentuated form of stuttering.

Adriana Ciobanu considers the Ministry of Education should propose an initiative to hire by a logopedist-psychologist in any education institution given that they speak about the shortage of logopedists a lot, but the problem remains unsolved.

“Demand on admission is also very great. A lot of persons who want to work as logopedists are from other areas such as teachers of Romanian or Russian, for example. Many of those who were hired as logopedists, but have a another specialty, study for two years and obtain a master’s degree in logopedy,” said the head of the Special Psychopedagogy Department.

Logopedists work not only in kindergartens and schools, but also at family doctor’s centers, in hospitals, including at the Emergency Medicine Center, where they work with persons with aphasia, which is a language disorder that appears as a result of traumas, stroke and other diseases.