Opening new lyceums in Chisinau postponed

Cricova and Stauceni localities, within Chisinau municipality, solicit to transform two pre-university institutions into lyceums, but specialists in education noted many obstacles in this regard. The mayor of Cricova town, Valentin Gutan, required the support of the authorities of Chisinau municipality in transforming the school nr.78 into a lyceum. The interim mayor Vasile Ursu was ready to backup the initiative, its implementation minimizing the problems that the local authorities and families deal with by transporting pupils daily to the capital. According to him, the mayoralty of Stauceni village also addressed such a petition. While discussing the issue, there were rumors according to which the branch ministry was against opening such lyceums, as these localities do not have sufficient didactic staff for teaching in such schools. The head of Municipal Education, Science, Youth and Sport Department, Alexandru Roman, said that now those two pre-university institutions do not comply with the conditions of being transformed into lyceums, where 40% of teachers must have didactic degrees. Also laboratories for exact sciences are required. Another problem might be hiring of specialists with didactic degrees, as a part of current teachers will have to be dismissed, and this is against the labour legislation. At the same time, not all the pupils of these localities want to study in lyceums, he mentioned. Roman said that now persons responsible within the Education Department investigate the whether there is a real need to open new lyceums, and then will present to municipality an official expertise. According to him, the problem will have to be coordinated with the branch ministry under conditions when few months ago a ministerial commission noted that the number of lyceums in municipality is sufficient. The head of Pre-University Education Department within the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, Nadejda Velisco, highlighted that the ministry can approve the opening of lyceums in the municipality, if Chisinau Municipal Council presents a decision on financing these institutions. At the same time, she said that there were no cases when the ministry refused opening a lyceum in the country.