Communists concerned about reform in education

Communist lawmakers Ina Shupac, Constantin Starysh and Alexandr Petkov expressed their concern about the reform initiated in the education sector. In a news conference on July 22, they said the optimization of the education institutions with a low number of students by the method proposed by the Ministry of Education will lead to layoffs and large expenses for transporting students to district schools that will be created by merging a number of education institutions, Info-Prim Neo reports. MP Alexandru Petkov, who is the deputy head of the parliamentary commission on culture, education, sport and mass media, said that as a result of the consultations they had with Minister of Education Mihai Shleahtitski on July 20 they established that the allocations for education decreased from 9.4% of the Gross Domestic Product in 2009 to 8% in 2010-2011. According to Alexandru Petkov, once Moldova was a regional leader by the volume of investments in the education system. The MP also said that the schools that will be closed may be privatized in several years as it was done with the bookstores “Luminita”. Constantin Starysh said it is not normal for a school that teaches other language speaking children to be merged with a school for Moldovan children. He gave as example the school in Samananca village of Orhei district, where there live Ukrainians. As a result of the reform, about 90 students will have to study at a school for Moldovan children. Ina Shupac accused the Ministry of Education of not allocating money for the persons accompanying students and for keeping the list of schools that will be closed secret. Contacted by Info-Prim Neo, Deputy Minister of Education Tatiana Potang said Communist lawmakers’ accusations are groundless and even aberrant. “The reform is aimed at ensuring education of a high quality. The reorganization will have different forms. In some of the villages, the high school will turn into ordinary school or the ordinary school will become primary school or kindergarten. Everything depends on the local councils,” she stated. In Moldova there are 1 500 preuniversity education institutions. According to the Ministry of Education, 370 institutions are to be reorganized by 2013.