The educational system in Moldova faces a deficit of about 2,000 teachers, according to the data presented by the district directorates. In an interview with Europa Liberă, Minister of Education Dan Perciun, stated that, in reality, the number is four times higher, as vacancies are filled by retirees or professionals teaching several subjects.
Instead of teaching 18 hours, which is the teaching norm, teachers do 27 hours a week on average, meaning they cover the deficit by overworking. Since salaries are quite modest in education, the opportunity to work more earns teachers a higher salary. And then there is some reluctance towards younger specialists as well, because older teachers may feel robbed of their extra hours, says Dan Perciun.
The Ministry of Education aims to attract annually at least 500 graduates of pedagogical faculties to schools. Today, of the approximately one thousand graduates, fewer than 25% are employed in schools.
The Ministry plans to introduce an admission grade of at least 7 in pedagogical specialties to increase the prestige of the profession; raise student stipends to the level of a minimum salary; and change the mechanism for awarding bonuses to novice teachers.
Europa Liberă also reported that the educational institutions in Chisinau will start the school year with a shortage of teaching staff. The municipal Directorate of Education requested 547 specialists from the Ministry of Education to fill vacancies, but to date only 80 have taken up the available jobs.
