Professor of 2011 title conferred on Ungheni teacher

Government officials, artists, teachers and students gathered Wednesday at the National Palace to mark the Professional Day of Education Workers. Within the event, there were named the professor, teacher and educator of 2011. The titles went to Balti, Soroca and Ungheni, Info-Prim Neo reports. Oxana Miron of Kindergarten No. 10 of Balti municipality was designated Educator of the Year. The Teacher of the Year title was conferred on Nadejda Tighineanu of the Soroca Theoretical School, while teacher of chemistry Alina Buga of the Ungheni Theoretical High School “Vasile Alecsandri” became Professor of the Year. The three laureates were also awarded by 50,000 lei and promoted to a higher rank. During the event, Prime Minister Vlad Filat said education is a top priority for the government. “In order to be competitive in all the areas, we must have the necessary training, including moral, and the teachers’ role in this respect is fundamental,” he stated. Minister of Education Mihail Shleahtitski said the human resources are the country’s main treasure. According to him, the role of the teacher in developing and democratizing the country is enormous. The minister also said that education has been the main concern during the last two years. Teachers’ salaries were raised two times. “Now the Ministry of Education has the largest ever budget and this is a proof that the government is preoccupied with the problems faced in this sector,” he said. The education system of Moldova includes about 3 000 education institutions, more than 60,000 specialists and approximately 800,000 students and applicants for a master’s degree.