600 children in Transnistria not admitted to kindergarten

1,400 families in the Transnistrian region want to enroll their children at nursery schools at a time when only 800 places are available there, Info-Prim Neo’s correspondent in Tiraspol reports. The situation in Slobozia district is the most difficult. 360 children need to go to the kindergarten there, but only 218 will be accepted, said Alexandru Vasilenko, department head at the Transnistrian education ministry. In two years, the nursery schools will admit only one third of the children born in 2009, Vasilenko added. At least three more nurseries are needed in Tiraspol, said Antonina Vorona, head of the preschool education division of the Tiraspol Public Education Department. The shortage of personnel is another problem. 25% of the educators in kindergartens are pensioners.   As many as 1,542 children were born in Tiraspol in 2008.