The interest of the young people in professional-technical education has increased during the past two years after a reform was launched in the sector in 2014. In a press club meeting, EU High-Level Adviser on Education to Moldova Daniel Funeriu said the EU’s budget support for the reform of the professional-technical education sector totals €25 million. The money is provided based on Moldova’s commitment to modernize the professional education sector until 2020, IPN reports.
“Moldova drew up a strategy for modernizing this sector from its own budget. Based on the results in the implementation of the strategy, the EU provides up to €25 million to encourage the efforts in the professional education sector. An assessment mission came to Chisinau to determine the progress made in the professional education sector reform and we are optimistic that a large part of the €25 million, €10.5 million of which was provided, will enter Moldova,” stated Daniel Funeriu.
He noted that the EU is a real friend of the Republic of Moldova and the EU’s support is the support of a friend provided for a long term. “It is essential to tell the young people that professional education is the way to their professional success,” stated Daniel Funeriu.
Silviu Gancu, division head at the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research, said qualitative and quantitative results were achieved in the reform of the professional-technical education sector. The number of students in this sector during the past two years has increased compared with the previous years. Fourteen of the 96 professional education institutions were liquidated and the quantitative results show the measures were relatively good.
“The EU does not provide money gratis. Hard work is done for obtaining it,” said Silviu Gancu, noting that the curriculum has been modified within the EU’s support program and about 300 teachers were trained for the purpose. He also said that during ten days of the start of admission to professional-technical education institutions, about 3,300 applications were submitted to vocational schools, 4,000 applications to colleges and 3,500 applications to centers of excellence that have college and vocational school programs.
