The OSCE Mission to Moldova has completed a donation of 16 sets of computer and recreational equipment to eight Moldovan-administered Latin-script schools and eight Transnistria-administered schools to contribute to the quality of education for children. The Mission said in a press release that the measure is part of the its confidence-building efforts and a means of promoting the holistic development of students.

The visit was also a good opportunity to obtain a first-hand account of the implementation of the Protocol Decision on ensuring the functioning of Moldovan Latin-script schools signed by Chisinau and Tiraspol in November 2017 in the framework of the Transnistrian settlement process.

The positive impact of the agreement on the day-to-day functioning of schools was confirmed in the course of meetings with the administration of the eight Latin-script schools. Starting from the 2018 academic year, the schools operate with symbolic rental fees and reduced utility rates. The funds saved through the reduced fees have been used by the school administrations to improve the educational environment. Importantly, the agreement allowed for a simplified delivery of goods to these schools and made it possible to ensure the free movement of teachers and students via checkpoints to their place of work and study. All these pragmatic solutions were developed in the course of intense Working Group meetings conducted in 2018 with the active participation of the two Chief Negotiators in the Transnistrian settlement process.

“The implementation of the agreement on the Latin-script schools has led to more certainty for these schools and over 1,500 students,” said Claus Neukirch, Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova. “The Sides recognize that they must uphold the right to education. This gives me confidence that they will work constructively to find pragmatic solutions for the benefit of pupils also on other issues which have not been covered by that agreement. This includes the question of the return of the building to the Latin-script school in Ribnita.”

The agreement on ensuring the functioning of Moldovan Latin-script schools is part of the “Berlin-plus” package of eight issues, which Chisinau and Tiraspol have been working on since 2016. In addition to the improved situation of the Latin-script schools, the two Sides have reached major progress in the apostilization of Transnistrian university diplomas. To date, this mechanism has enabled over 220 students from Transnistria to pursue their educational aspirations abroad.