The students of grades 7-9 are considered most at risk of dropping out of school. At the end of the previous academic year, in May, the Chisinau Department for Education, Youth and Sports (DGETS) registered 10 children who dropped out of school. DGETS head Tatiana Tverdohleb says the main factor associated with dropping out is not the difficult financial situation, but the adults’ indifference. “It is a critical age, in what concerns both physical and intellectual development of teenagers. They feel the need to make themselves noticed in some way. When the family doesn’t support them, when they feel ignored, they try other ways to make themselves noticed, unfortunately hazardous – they are roaming the streets or killing their time in net-cafes, in the best case” Tatiana Tverdohleb explained. She says parents must share the largest part of the blame for the drop out, because they often chose to deal with other responsibilities than to spare some time to listen to what is troubling their children. This summer the specialists of the department had the chance to discuss with the children who had abandoned their classes last year and with their parents. Most of them were advised to continue their education at the Centre for Professional Initiation “Speranta” (Hope). As of September 2006 in Chisinau there were 13 children who didn’t attend any school and 39 children who left school in the first month. Most of the dropouts returned to school during the year, but then again left it. By May 2006, the list had 14 dropout students, including a boy in trouble with the law.