“Patria-Rodina” points to shortcomings in draft Education Code

The Party of Socialists of Moldova “Patria-Rodina” says the draft Eduction Code cannot be accepted in the version proposed by the authors. In a news conference, the party's president of honor Veronica Abramciuc vehemently criticized the Government for its intentions “to attack the children and restrict their right to study”, Info-Prim Neo reports. Veronica Abramciuc said the well-off senior officials will never understand the children who will have to cover long distances to schools situated in neighboring settlements when a number of local schools will be closed. According to Veronica Abramciuc, the Party of Socialists “Patria-Rodina” considers that the new Education Code is aimed at disadvantaging the education system and dismissing school heads from posts in order to seize power at local level. In the same news conference, the head of the Glodeni-based high school “Lev Tolstoi” Vasile Gladysh said he was against limiting the older teachers in their work, as the draft Education Code provides, and against increasing the number of students in a class from 20 to 25. He also said that the structure of the document is complicated. The previous work experience is not taken into account. According to Vasile Gladysh, many articles from the new Code run counter to article 13 of the Constitution, which concerns the official language. The social status of the teachers is not guaranteed. Expert Nicolae Vizitei, Doctor of Biology and Doctor Habilitate of Philosophy, said the universities should be granted the status of cultural center that will provide mental training as well. The party's secretary Valentin Crylov spoke about minorities' rights to their own identity and to study the mother tongue. He expressed his indignation at the fact that the new Education Code allows organizing studies for representatives of other ethnic groups only if the circumstances permit, saying this is not according to the law. Minister of Education Leonid Bujor could not be found for comment.