“2009 was a historical year”. Info-Prim Neo interview with Minister of Education, MP and historian Leonid Bujor

[ - How was 2009 for the country's education system?] - This year was a historical year for Moldova despite the difficulties and divergences. I name it the year of youth as many people changed their mentality owing to the civic positions expressed by the young people between April 6 and July 29. This was very important as the Communists lost the July 29 elections even if they said they would win more than 70 seats of MP. As I was named Minister of Education on September 25, I will speak about several aspects of the education system. It was a difficult year full of problems. Unfortunately, the financial crisis that had been hidden by the Communists during nine months affected seriously all the areas, especially the education sector. Thus, the Ministry of Finance and the previous Government allocated financial resources for salaries and for bonuses to salaries. But many areas remained out of attention, including the construction and reconstruction, printing of books and others. [ - What place does the child and education occupy in Moldova's system of values and in the 2010 budget?] - It is important that the child, the student acquire moral, spiritual and material values as the present student is the future builder, doctor, engineer, minister. We put education high on the list of priorities and even if we face a crisis, we will fulfill this commitment. The financial resources allocated for the education system were raised by 1 million lei. In this connection, I would like to say the information that the dormitory fees will be increased from January 1, 2010 spread among education establishments is not true. There is no normative document obliging the students to pay higher fees. Also, the number of award recipients will remain at the level of 70%, not 50% as they now say in universities, colleges and vocational schools. The salaries of teachers were increased according to the coefficient of 0.8 from September 1. There were planned two more rises. From our viewpoint, this is an important step. The salaries of the teachers with inferior degrees and of those who benefited from lower pay rises will also be raised. [ - How can the dispute between politicians and historians over the name and content of the history subject in Moldova's education institutions be resolved?] - History is a subject that we tried to change in order to remedy the situation. I think certain aspects are exaggerated. In order to adopt pragmatic and realistic approaches and not to ignore the national history of our people, we set up a team headed by a history faculty dean that will formulate proposals and modifications. We also take into account the proposals submitted by the Association of Historians of Moldova. The disputes will go on, but they are necessary not only in history, but also in all the areas of activity as one of the basic development laws is the law of contradiction. In fact, the divergence of opinion stimulates advancement. On January 3 and 4, we will have a meeting with scientists in history. We have a government coalition and must take into account the opinions of all the members of the Alliance for European Integration. At the same time, we will have to address the issue of history objectively and scientifically. We cannot ignore the role and importance of the national history in the history subject. The name of the history textbook or of the subject is not the most serious problem. The content of the textbook is more important. We have several versions of textbooks and will consult the specialists to choose the best one. [ - What changes do you expect in 2010? Do they have political support?] We are convinced that 2010 will be very important for the Ministry of Education. We are working on the Education Code. There were set up the coordination group and teams that focus on different areas. We have a moral obligation to better organize the Baccalaureate exams as in 2009 the Ministry did not live up to the expectations The organization of the Baccalaureate exams this year was criticized by specialists in education, the civil society, parents, students. The improvement of the school program is another important issue. This modernization is important because the changes must be reflected in the curricula. The political support is the Alliance for European Integration. I assure you that the Alliance is efficient. The heated discussions are not out of the ordinary as we achieve results by such discussions. We know what consequences the authoritarian government of Vladimir Voronin (the former head of state – e.n..) had. I don't think that the people in our country want the economic, social and spiritual problems to be solved according to the wishes of one person. [ - As MP and politician, can you say how irreversible are the reforms announced by the Alliance for European Integration?] - Changes will happen anyway. That's why the Communists' insistence on holding early elections is illogical as the elections are detrimental to them in the present conditions. The Moldovan people who voted for change expected that the Opposition will show political maturity, but they did not. Any attempt to force early elections will lead to the end of the Communist period. I'm sure that the Communists will obtain not more than 30 seats if early elections are held in autumn or winter. Thus, we will have a majority able to take decisions in our country. [ - How and when will the reformation of the Moldova Noastra Alliance that you represent finish?] - The reformation of the party started even if some of the members and leaders of the AMN organizations caused misunderstandings. I consider a new person who represents another generation had to be named in the party's administration alongside the AMN president Serafim Urecheanu. Victor Osipov (the first vice president of the AMN – e.n.) could be such a person. It would have been a real change. There will appear new young leaders in the AMN, who will hold the posts of vice presidents, like Natalita Ciobanu, the leader of the AMN Women's Organization, Victor Guzun, the head of the party's Youth Department, and other talented young people. I think the constitution of the executive bodies of the party will start when the AMN's Political Council will hold its first sitting, when there will be elected the other vice presidents and members of the Standing Bureau. I do not want to comment on the steps taken by some of my colleagues. I can only say that the party colleagues who hold posts in the central or local public administration obtained them because they formed part of the AMN. They are wrong if they think that they will become main candidates if they join another party. The political trust is won by long work as part of a party. I always trust those who are near me when I encounter difficulties more than those who become allies on the last one hundred meters, as they pursue personal interests.