Moldova’s district and municipal education departments will be replaced by Territorial Education Agencies (ATEs), which will take over the administration of schools. The change will begin on January 1, 2027, in 32 administrative-territorial units, while the municipalities of Chisinau and Balti will transition to the new system one year later.
The transfer of responsibilities is being prepared by the Ministry of Education and Research (MEC), which has drafted a Government decision currently undergoing approval. The document sets out how the new agencies will be established and organized and how the responsibilities, staff, assets, documents and contracts of the existing education departments will be transferred.
ATEs will administer public primary, lower secondary, upper secondary and special education institutions. Second-level local public authorities will no longer act as founders of the transferred schools, but will retain responsibility for early childhood and extracurricular education.
The reorganization will also affect employees of the education departments. Depending on their responsibilities and the structure of the new agencies, they may be transferred, reassigned or employed by the new structures. The ministry said that guarantees provided by labor and civil service legislation will be respected.
Under the new system, schools will receive funding directly from the state budget based on a standard per-student cost. School budgets and reports on how funds are spent will be published online. Investment decisions will take into account the condition of school buildings, student safety, the number of children and learning conditions.
The new agencies will manage the school network, human resources, institutional funding and assets, student transportation and inclusion. They will also monitor school activities.
Education and Research Minister Dan Perciun said preparations for the transition mechanisms are intended to ensure continuity in schools’ operations and prevent administrative disruptions.
The creation of ATEs is part of the “Restart in Education” reform, through which the ministry aims to establish a unified system for managing general education.