The Ministry of Education’s decision to institute a 42-day summer vacation for kindergartens dissatisfies some of the parents who do not have who to leave their children with in the period. In a flashmob meeting, parents demanded that the Ministry should annul this decision, IPN reports.
“A part of the mothers will have to leave their jobs as the employers, especially those from the private sector, will not be very tolerant towards parents who need a vacation of 42 days in summer, either paid or unpaid. This will cause greater discrimination against mothers. The employers will not want to hire them,” stated Ala Revenko, leader of the public organization “Solidary Parents”, who staged a demonstration in front of the Ministry of Education together with other parents on March 23.
They brought with them a doll, a bottle of vinegar, scissors and other things that can be dangerous to children, suggesting that the kids during the summer vacation of kindergartens will be left in the care of available persons who may not know the risks to which the children are exposed and thus will be unable to protect them from home accidents. Not many can afford to hire professional babysitters.
Ana Smoleac from Criuleni said she cannot count on the support of her parents all the time. These are elder and are unable to look after kids or work themselves. “The neighboring villages are far away. Who will come to take our children to kindergarten in another village? The merger of groups from different kindergartens can be a solution for the city, but is impracticable in villages. We are not against allowing those from kindergartens to go on leave, but not all of them should go at the same time,” stated the woman.
As a result of discussions with representatives of the Ministry, the parents were promised that the new regulations concerning vacation in kindergartens will be made public so that they can analyze them and submit proposals.
The Ministry of Education announced that the kindergartens will have a 42-day vacation in summer, but not all of them simultaneously. The period will be decided by the administration after consulting the parents. If some of the children cannot be left home during the period of the vacation, the kindergarten’s administration will have to make sure that these are enrolled at institutions nearby on a temporary basis.
