Transformation of lycees into secondary schools – subject for heated discussion

The initiative to reorganize the education institutions proposed by the Filat Government met with support and opposition, Info-Prim Neo reports. In a meeting with district heads on April 15, Prime Minister Vlad Filat said the education system in Moldova is inefficient. Minister of Education Leonid Bujor informed that only one third of the 4,884 lycees working in the country meet the required standards and have by 20-25 students in one class. The 44 lycees opened during the last two years do not have the necessary number of students. Leonid Bujor said the reorganization of the education institutions is projected to last for four years. The district heads proposed creating district or regional high schools and transforming the local lycees into secondary schools. “This will be an opportunity for the highly qualified teachers who do not want to work in small villages where there are lycees,” said the head of Hancesti district Anatolie Chetraru. The head of Causeni district Ion Ciontoloi also backs the reorganization idea. “The education process should be optimized. In Copanca village for example, there are two lycees – a Romanian and a Russian one, but both of them have a reduced number of students. I think all the students may go to one school as the number of students at the Russian language school decreases every year,” he said. A project to optimize the costs in the education system has been implemented in Causeni district since 2006. Four schools have been closed in the district meanwhile. The students are taken to the school in the neighboring village by buses. The head of Ocnita district Iurie Rusu considers that it is not the right moment to start reorganizing the eduction institutions. “Some of the schools have worked with a low number of students during 20 years. They should be reorganized. But there are also other problems like accommodation, feeding, transportation and others that do not allow improving the quality of education,” Rusu said.