The higher education reform announced by the government will lead to the liquidation of important universities in the Republic of Moldova and to the destruction of research institutes, said Socialist ex-minister of education Corneliu Popovici. For their part, representatives of the government said a reform is necessary when the number of students declines. The PAS MPs assure that the programs of study at the optimized universities will be maintained and the teachers will continue working, IPN reports.
The Ministry of Education and Research decided that the State University of Moldova will absorb the Public Administration Academy, the State University of Physical Education and Sport and a number of institutions. The Agrarian University will be absorbed by the Technical University. The Academy of Economic Studies will absorb the National Institute of Economic Research, while the State Teacher Training University “Ion Creangă” will absorb the Tiraspol State University and the Taraclia State University “Grigorii Țamblac”. The ex-minister of education considers the reform started by PAS will destroy the higher education system.
“The reform should not amount to destruction, liquidation, closure. The decision to transfer most of the research institutes under the management of the State University of Moldova, given the financing method, will inevitably lead to the disappearance of these institutes. Initially, they were detached from the Academy of Sciences and now they will be liquidated. There is a clear method for assessing a university. In accordance with the law, any institution is subject to accreditation. As a result of this accreditation that refers also to the number of students, it is decided whether to close the institution or not. The Ministry of Education launched an undertaking that ignores the principle of transparency and will lead to the destruction of the Agrarian University that is over 80 years old,”Corneliu Popovici stated in the talk show “The Theme” on Primul în Moldova channel.
For their part, PAS MPs provided figures in favor of the decision to optimize the universities. According to them, the universities should be strengthened so as to offer the students studies of a high quality and to modernize infrastructure.
“Such a reform has been considered for years, but no one had the courage to undertake it. Studies carried out by neutral players, such as international partners, show that the university system is close to collapse. Ten years ago, there were about 100,000 students, but now we have 50,000 students. There is a downward trend. According to optimistic forecasts, we risk having 12,000-15,000 students in 2030. Evidently, this effort to modernize and optimize the education system is necessary. As regards the Agrarian University, the programs remains, the students remain, the professors remain,” said PAS MP Virgiliu Pâslariuc.
The Ministry of Education and Research said the reorganization of educational institutions implies the transfer of students, academic and ancillary personnel and property. The reorganization process will take place between the study completion period and the start of the new academic year.
