The provisions of Moldova’s “Restart in Education” reform could come into force in 2028 in the municipalities of Chisinau and Balti, as well as in the Gagauzia autonomous region.
Education and Research Minister Dan Perciun said on Thursday, August 13, that he had submitted a set of amendments to Parliament proposing the delay. The reform is still expected to take effect across the rest of the country in 2027, as initially planned.
In Chisinau, Perciun said the additional year should allow the municipal authorities to demonstrate that the current management model can address systemic problems in the capital’s schools.
Among the issues identified by the ministry are overcrowding in some schools while other institutions have available places, difficulties integrating children with special educational needs, informal payments in schools and the underuse of millions of lei allocated annually from the state budget for education in Chisinau.
According to Perciun, the central government provides more than 90% of the budget for schools in the municipality.
“Chisinau has very good teachers, students with very good results and many high-performing institutions. That is precisely why we believe the municipal administration must demonstrate that it can also solve these systemic problems,” the minister said.
In Balti, the Education Ministry said it had held constructive discussions with local authorities and that the reform could initially have been introduced in 2027. However, the ministry is proposing 2028 to ensure a uniform approach for the two municipalities with special legal status.
During the additional year, Balti authorities would prepare schools for the transition to financial self-management and clarify several issues concerning property ownership.
The situation is different in the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia. According to Perciun, the reform will not change the subordination of schools in the autonomy because of the provisions of the special law governing its status.
“Under these circumstances, we consider it reasonable for 2028 to be the year when the provisions of the reform applicable to the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia come into force,” Perciun said.
The “Restart in Education” reform would transfer schools from the authority of district and municipal councils to the Ministry of Education and Research through Territorial Education Agencies (ATEs).
Currently, local authorities manage schools through education departments. The reform would replace these structures with 35 ATEs, which would become the founders of primary schools, gymnasiums, high schools and special education institutions. Kindergartens and extracurricular institutions would remain under local authorities.
The ATEs would manage school funding, approve class numbers and staffing structures, establish school districts and monitor compulsory education requirements. They would also oversee infrastructure, institutional budgets, absenteeism and bullying prevention, and support for children with special educational needs.
Under the new system, schools would receive funding directly from the state budget based on a standard cost per student. School budgets and expenditure reports would be published online.
The government plans to establish the 35 ATEs by October 30, 2026. The transfer of schools and introduction of the new funding system are scheduled for January 1, 2027, across the rest of the country.
Perciun said the main direction of the reform remains unchanged: the quality of education should not depend on where a child goes to school.
Parliament will consider the bill in its second reading. Perciun expects lawmakers to approve it by the end of August or in early September.