Decreased number of seats in universities – a fatal mistake of the government – liberals

The Liberal Party (PL) disapproves with the policy of the government in reducing the number of seats in the universities, mentioning that through this measure, the government limits the access of youngsters to education, violating their right to education. PL vice-chairman Dorin Chirtoaca made this statement on Tuesday. According to Chirtoaca, this government decision has no juridical background, in this way being infringed some articles of the Constitution and the Law on Education, as well as some provisions of the Action Plan RM-EU. It is also against the pro-European declarations of the government regarding the compliance of the education system to the international standards. In his opinion, this decision affects the state universities, as well as the private ones. The imposed matriculation limit will reduce the possibilities of the private universities to finance themselves and to invest in the quality of provided education. Under these conditions, PL vice-chairman, the private universities have only two solutions: to raise the tuition fee, fact that would lead to reduction of the number of students, or to cease their activity lacking the resources for paying the didactic staff, keeping and developing the university infrastructure. Chirtoaca considers that, while RM wants to become member of the European Union, it has to show long-term democratic stability and working market economy. For this, the authorities have to encourage the investments, including in the educational system, while limiting the access to higher education will not solve the unemployment issue, as it is pretended by implementing the decision, instead it will delay the strengthening of the democracy of the political, social and economic environment of the country, PL vice-chairman concluded. According to the decision of April 2006, approved by the Government, 20.4% less students than in 2005 will be matriculated in higher-education institutions of Moldova. Of those 27,685 persons, planned to be matriculated, 7,645 will be able to get a scholarship and about 20,000 – on contract basis. The Government explained then this action by reducing the plan of certain specialities of the social science, law, economy fields, concomitantly increasing the number of the seats to pedagogic and engineer jobs, in order to avoid the surplus of staff on the labor market, as well as to ensure the economics, educational and health sectors with employees etc. The matriculation in higher education institutions of Moldova started on 1 July 2006.