Transnistrian teachers ask reviewing university admission regulations

The heads of Romanian teaching high schools in Transnistria call on the constitutional authorities to amend the regulations on the admission to Moldovan universities. They are dissatisfied that the students who graduate from schools teaching on the basis of the Cyrillic scrip, which are within the control of the unconstitutional Transnistrian authorities, continue to be accepted to national universities. In a petition to Parliament and Prime Minister Vlad Filat, they say the grades of 5 got by these students in schools that use programs that are not in accordance with the Moldovan Education Ministry’s program, are converted into 9.5 on admission. Thus, the students of the Romanian teaching schools who take Baccalaureate exams have reduced chances of obtaining a budget-funded place at the university. The grades of 5 converted into 9.51 exceed the average in the Romanian teaching schools. Eleonora Cercavschi, chairwoman of the Transnistrian Teachers’ Association “Lumina”, has told Info-Prim Neo that in order to obtain a budget-funded place at the university, the students of Romanian teaching schools prefer to transfer to schools teaching on the basis of the Cyrillic script during the last school years as they can easier get grades of 5 there. “We want the students to be admitted to the higher education institutions in Moldova under equal conditions, on the basis of the Baccalaureate exam grades,” head of the Rybnitsa-based Theoretical High School “Evrica” Eugenia Halus has told Info-Prim Neo. Maria Roibu, head of the Theoretical High School “Alexandru cel Bun” in Bender, said the number of students in Romanian teaching schools decreases every year as many parents transfer their children to schools teaching on the basis of the Cyrillic script to get higher average grades there. “We use the education program of the Ministry of Education of Moldova and want the graduates to be admitted to universities on the basis of the Baccalaureate exams,” said the head of the Tiraspol-based High School “Lucian Blaga” Ion Iovcev. The high school heads say the university admission regulations should be immediately reviewed and amended so as to ensure equal rights, progress and the country’s reunification. In Transnistria, there are eight Romanian teaching education institutions. Five of them are high schools, two are ordinary schools, while one is a boarding school.