Reform in education sector generates heated discussions

The public debates on the reform in the education sector turned heated. Minister of Education Mihail Shleahtitski said the reform is absolutely necessary as the quality of the education services must be improved and the sustainable economic growth promoted. On the other hand, a number of Communist lawmakers said this reform will result only in closed schools and teachers out of work, Info-Prim Neo reports. The debates were organized by the parliamentary commission on culture, education, youth, sport and mass media. The minister stated that without this structural reform Moldovan cannot become a prosperous country, stressing the former government avoided implementing it. Mihail Shleahtitski said the reform program is based on the experience accumulated while implementing the Quality Education in the Rural Areas of Moldova Project. The pilot project carried out in Causeni and Rascani started last January and turned out to be a successful exercise for Moldova. “Currently, effort is made to extend the new financing formula and school autonomy in another nine districts of the country and the municipalities of Chisinau and Balti from January 2012. The extension planned for 2013 is the next step,” said the minister. Attending the debates, Communist MP Alexandr Petkov, a member of the parliamentary commission on culture, education, youth, sport and mass media, and his colleague Grigore Petrenko said the reform envisions only the closing of schools and dismissal of teachers. “The reorganization of 220 schools from September 1, 2011 is a political matter. We consider that the closing of the schools will lead to the degradation of the education system and an increased illiteracy rate. More children will not have access to education in rural areas and the infrastructure will be destroyed,” said Grigore Petrenko. He also said that he and his colleagues in Parliament want to see a list of figures – how many teachers will remain without a job as a result of the reform. “The people must know if their school will work or not from September 1,” said the MP. Alexandr Petkov proposed that the Government Decision on the reform in education should be sent back to the executive for revision, but the proposal was not put to the vote. The debates involved representatives of the education divisions of the two districts where the pilot project was implemented and of the settlements where the reform will be extended - Stefan Voda, Criuleni, Leova, Glodeni, and Chisinau municipality. Most of the speakers said the reform will have only beneficial effects and the parents, students and teachers will feel them in the shortest period of time. In Moldova there are 1 500 preuniversity education institutions. According to the Ministry of Education, 370 institutions are to be reorganized by 2013. The Quality Education in the Rural Areas of Moldova Project is financed by the World Bank and has a budget of US$10 million.