In the Republic of Moldova we have 100 schools with fewer than 50 students and 300 schools with fewer than 100 students. According to Minister of Education and Research Dan Perciun, the analysis of school performance shows that in small educational institutions, the quality of studies leaves to be desired. In order to provide students with high-quality studies, massive investments need to be made in the infrastructure of 35 schools in district centers. Dan Perciun voiced hope that the model schools will become poles of attraction for parents whose children attend small educational institutions, IPN notes.
The minister noted that there is a direct link between the level of equipment of an educational institution and the school performance of students. The Government intends to invest in the infrastructure of 35 educational institutions and will encourage parents to take their children to these model schools.
“In the Republic of Moldova we have 100 schools with fewer than 50 students and 300 schools with fewer than 100 students. In a small school, according to the known rules, 7 out of 10 students do not reach a minimum level of proficiency in reading and mathematics. From our point of view, the solution is to create this network of model schools, district level institutions, to provide access to high-quality education for students from extremely small educational institutions, where there is a serious shortage of teachers and the conditions of study are not appropriate. For the purpose, we have selected 35 educational institutions in which we are going to invest massively over the next two-three years so as to turn them into poles of attraction for parents from these smaller rural localities,” Dan Perciun stated in the program “At 360 Degrees” on Radio Moldova station.
According to the minister, the parents who agree to transfer their children to model schools will receive a monthly financial allowance of €50. At present, the necessary legal framework is being developed for the money to reach the parents monthly.
“These 35 schools appreciate the fact that we are going to invest up to €2 million in each school. We are now also in the process of identifying resources to cover this need. We are in the early stages of the project. We have the list of selected schools and we have money for investments in the infrastructure of ten schools, but we still have 25 schools for which we are looking for money. The purchase of buses so that we can provide transportation is part of this concept. The first buses will arrive in Moldova in September-October. We are in the process of amending the law and we hope to have the legal framework set by the end of March so that we can also offer the allowance of €50,” stated the minister.
According to the concept presented by the Ministry of Education and Research, 70 buses will be purchased to transport students from small localities to model schools.
