Eighteen districts witness a shortage of places at nursery schools. According to the Ministry of Education, about 1,400 children aged between 3 and 6 (7) are waiting for a place at the nursery. The situation in this respect is the worst in Chisinau municipality, in Anenii Noi district and in Calarasi town.
In a response to an inquiry by IPN, the Ministry said there are no preschools in 155 settlements. There are 2,870 children of nursery age in these settlements and almost 2,000 of these attend nursery schools in other settlements or playgroups housed by the local secondary school. Such a situation is typical of small settlements, with few children. In 13 settlements, there are no children younger than 7.
The largest part of applications for enrolment at nurseries refers to children aged between 0 and 3. In the municipality of Chisinau, there are about 7,000 applications of the kind. The parents submit an application for a place at the nursery when the child is only born.
Contacted by IPN, the head of the Preschool Management Service of the Chisinau General Education Division Vera Ciumac said that most of the children born in 2011 were enrolled at preschools, but all those who remained and a part of those born in 2012 will be enrolled this year. However, there are many applications from parents of children born in 2013, who are of crèche age.
Under the Education Code, the children go to nursery at the age of three. The crèches are opened if the local public authorities have financial possibilities. In the 155 kindergartens of Chisinau municipality, there are 150 playgroups for children aged between two and three. Last year there were reopened two kindergartens and about 14 playgroups.
According to the Ministry of Education, 800 nurseries in 2014-2015 have benefitted from a grant of €25 million provided by the Government of Romania for modernizing infrastructure and ensuring the quality of early education services.
