The number of the teaching staff in the pre-higher education institutions who perform their activity in the 2006/07 school year is of 39,200 persons (by 1704 less than in the 2005/06 school year). 81.8% of the teachers in the republic’s schools graduated from higher education institutions, and 14.1% vocational education institutions. Women represent 82.9% of Moldova’s teaching staff. Classification of teaching staff on the criterion of professional experience shows that the greatest share is covered by the personnel teaching for 18 years and more – 61.1%, 13-18 years – 12.3%, 8-13 years – 8.9 %, 3-8 years – 9.5% and the smallest rate is that of young specialists with three and less years of professional experience – 8.2%. Students/teachers percentage in the current school year constituted 1/13. Over the last few years the number of teachers at retirement age marked serious growth tendencies. The percentage of this category increased by 6.6 percentage points compared to 2000/01, constituting 5,300 persons. In 2006, average wage per month in education was of 1211.6 lei, or 71.5% against the average wage in the country (1695.4 lei).