The bill to annul the Baccalaureate exams of 2020 that was passed by Parliament on May 21 is discriminatory against some of the categories of graduates who are excluded, said ombudswoman for children’s rights Maia Bănărescu, who noted that she refers to the graduates from the Transnistrian region, of the zero cycle (Bachelor’s degree) of higher education institutions, graduates who failed an exam or two exams last year and registered to sit the exams again this year and college graduates who didn’t sit the exams and decided to sit them this year.
In a news conference at IPN, Maia Bănărescu said she warned about the discriminatory norms of the bill at the stage that preceded its voting, but she wasn’t heard and the bill was passed in the variant proposed by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research. “In the opinion I presented in Parliament, I recommended amending the bill so that it is adopted without these discriminatory positions. Regrettably, the law was adopted. I speak about law No. 71 of May 21, 2020. After its publication, young graduates who feel discriminated in relation to the other graduates who will not take the Baccalaureate exams addressed me. I have tens of petitions, tens of applications coming from all the aforementioned categories,” said the ombudswoman.
“The right to education and the right to health are basic rights that are necessary for the complex development of the child, but there are situations, like the pandemic, when these two rights have to be considered so as to choose the priority one. Health security or the right to health is a priority and the right to education is ensured for children through alternative methods,” stated Maia Bănărescu.
She noted that after the vote of May 21, the Ministry of Education on its website published a proposal to amend the law so that the Baccalaureate exams are annulled also for the categories of graduates who weren’t covered initially. “We hope that both the Government and the MPs will take into account my opinion and my requests as the ombudswoman for children’s rights and these opinions stated today here by these young people who are part of the three enumerated categories of graduates,” noted Maia Bănărescu.
Alexandru Sedyh, who is from the Transnistrian region and who graduated the zero cycle of an education institution of Moldova, said he represents the opinion of 200 students of the zero cycle of different universities who were institutionalized based on the 11 grades certificate issued in the Transnistrian region, but came to the right bank to complete the twelfth grade. The curriculum was the same as for lyceum students, but, for unclear reasons, the Government and Parliament considered that they should take the Baccalaureate exams, even if these were annulled for the other graduates.
Alexandru Sedyh noted the Transnistrian graduates are exposed to the risk of infection with the novel coronavirus as the epidemiological situation in Moldova has worsened.
Another argument is that almost 95% of the students live in the Transnistrian region and movement is now restricted in connection with the epidemiological situation. When on the right bank, the young people have to stay for two weeks in quarantine. The accommodations are another problem. Most of the students lived in dorms, but these were closed and the graduates have to find a place to stay for the period during which they will be taking the exams.
Graduate Iuliana Chihai, who failed to take the Baccalaureate exams in 2019, spoke in the name of about 2,000 graduates who failed exams last year and intended to take them again this year. “In the name of those mentioned above, I want to express my dissatisfaction with the Parliament decision by which the Baccalaureate exams this year are annulled only for 17,459 lyceum graduates. We feel neglected and ignored as those from Parliament argued that this decision can be modified only if the epidemiological situation in the country changes,” she stated.
Iuliana Chihai noted that together with a number of mates, they tried to initiate online petitions, to write to different public functionaries over the risk of becoming infected. They also made approaches to the Ministry of Education and last week received an answer saying that the timetable of exams was already approved.
According to a poll conducted earlier by Maia Bănărescu, ombudswoman for children’s rights, 80% of the candidates for Baccalaureate exams said they are for annulling the exams and only 19% said they want to take them.
