SLP intends to sue the Government for its decision on limiting the number of seats in universities

The Social-Liberal Party (SLP) will contest in the Constitutional Court the recent decision of the Government on limiting the number of seats in universities, which SLP qualifies as a political action. This declaration was made on Tuesday, July, by the leader of the party, Oleg Serebrian. According to the quoted source, this initiative violates the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova which stipulates citizen’s right to education. “In a democratic country with market economy, the citizens have the right to go to any university and no one guarantees him a work place one might choose”. “Together with the reduction of students at a series of universities many teachers, who are the core of anticommunist resistance, will be dismissed. It is easy to guess who will be dismissed, for example at the faculty of history and international relationships”, the social-liberal leader says. According to him, the university autonomy is guaranteed by the legislation, including by the European one. That is why, the SLP leader states that the Council of Europe is the one that will point on the limitation of universities’ freedom of decision. “Not even Russia, which is frequently criticized for the violation of democratic norms, has not undertaken such actions, only in Belarus a similar decision is in effect”, Serebrian states, specifying that the majority of rectors and Associations of students are concerned about this decision. At the same press conference, the president of SLP branch in Chisinau municipality, Olga Nicolenco mentioned that in the last time the situation in kindergartens is also worsening. According to her, the increase of wages for civil servants is performed on the account of kindergartens’ heads. Starting September they will be deprived bu the managerial wage categories, due to a Governmental decision. “If a kindergarten director with superior wage category was receiving 1300 lei, starting September, the directors will be paid 700-800 lei. The same situation can be observed in the case of nannies who have at present a supplement of 70 lei to their salary of 350 lei and which will be canceled from September.” Nicolenco cited a kindergarten manager who requested personnel from the Office of Labor Force, but his request was rejected because the salary is too small. According to the representative of SLP, this fact endangers the education of children. “The government is interested in reducing the level of population’s education, because it is easier to govern over less educated persons”, the quoted source ended. According to a decision, approved by the Government on April, 2006, in the higher education institutions will be matriculated by 20.4% less students comparing to 2005. Of those 27 685 persons planned to be matriculated, 7645 will have the possibility to study from public money and 20 thousand on contract basis. The Government intends to avoid an excess of specialists on the labor market, as well as ensuring the necessary number of specialists in the real sector.