The Ministry of Education and Research has supported the decision of the Ialoveni District Directorate to open a number of 10th grades in the district’s lyceums, including the lyceum in the village of Rusestii Noi. It will become a zonal institution where 10th grade students from the neighboring village of Văsieni will also be enrolled. The decision was announced after a protest staged on Monday by a group of parents dissatisfied with the suspension of admission to the 10th grade.

On Monday, Minister Dan Perciun met with several parents from the two localities to discuss the opening of high school classes. The subject was also discussed with the head of the Ialoveni Education Directorate.

At the end of the day, the Directorate submitted a formal request to the Ministry asking to organize high school education based on a single 10th grade in the Rusestii Noi lyceum. Following additional consultations, the Ministry decided to accept this request. The local education authorities vowed to arrange for the transportation of students from Văsieni to Ruseștii Noi, which are 6.4 km apart. The bus to be used for this purpose is in good technical condition.

20 applications for admission have been submitted to Rusestii Noi lyceum and 17 to the one in Văsieni. There are 40 ninth graders in Rusestii Noi and 19 in Văsieni. In the 2022-2023 academic year, the lyceum in Văsieni didn’t have any admission to high school classes due to the low number of applicants.

Approved in 2017, the current high school admission rules require at least two tenth grades for a school to be able to open high school education classes. As an exception, the Ministry of Education may accept, based on a request from the local authorities, to open a single 10th grade in rural schools provided that a number of conditions are met, including the short distances between villages and the capacity of the local authorities to provide a school bus.