789.4 thousand pupils and students learn in the education of all levels in Republic of Moldova (1998-1999), which is 73.4% from the school-age population and a fifth part of total population. Institutional structure of the education is being reformed, diversified and adjusted to European standards. Comparing to preceding years, total index of involvement in education has shown a light increase, though the total number of pupils and students decreased with 120 thousand.

Basic compulsory education comprises 9 years and includes: 1 year of preparing for the school, 4 classes of primary education and 5 classes of gymnasium education. The index of comprising in basic compulsory educational network is 92% in the school year 1998-1999, and in post-compulsory education – 45.55% of the population at age of 16-22.

Basic education is organised in Romanian language and languages of national minorities. Modern languages are taught, starting with the II class. In gymnasium education modern languages are taught in all classes, in lyceums two modern languages are compulsory. Russian language is optional in all schools beginning with the V class.

Pre-school educational system involves about 40% from total contingent of children of respective age (3-7 years). The last year from the pre-school educational system is compulsory training for school.

Primary education involves 320.5 thousand pupils, which is 96% from respective contingent. For a didactical worker there are on average 22 children in primary education. During 1992-1998 the number of pupils and teachers increased only by 1%.

Secondary education includes:

• general secondary education (gymnasium education, lyceum education, general culture secondary education);
• secondary vocational education.

1549 full-time schools functioned in the school year 1998-1999, from which:

• 107 primary separate schools,
• 631 gymnasia,
• 625 general culture secondary schools,
• 143 lyceums,
• 43 schools for children with development deficiencies.

Secondary education comprises 420.2 thousand pupils, from them 92% are from general compulsory education. The level of involvement of the population of respective age in general compulsory education is 89.4%, a tendency of decrease is manifested because of school abandon.

Per one didactical worker there are 17 pupils in secondary education.

Reforming stages, passed by the educational system in Republic of Moldova were dictated by the necessity of their adaptation to immediate demands of the society: elimination of political doctrines, of excessive centralism, of paramilitary training. Curriculum, didactical technologies, school textbooks are continuing to be modernised; new institutional structures were created; vocational forming and educational management are in continuous perfection.

Social and economical reforms in republic, synchronised with European trends, force promotion in educational system of a coherent reform of global character, with paradigm and organisation logic change. Key positions of the reform in educational system are:

• the role of the state in education;
• relations between education and labour market;
• organisation of the financing system;
• control over educational system efficiency.

The state refuses steadily from the monopoly in educational organisation, financing, and evaluation, however, in the same time, it determines priority educational zones, fixes, in context of territorial-administrative reform, concrete responsibilities and competencies on horizontal and vertical directions for every level of educational management.

The imperative of the time is promotion of non-public education, creation of proper conditions for tripartite collaboration in occupational standards definition, private sector participation in financing and managing vocational education, attraction of new sources of educational financing.

The Concept for educational development in Republic of Moldova, Law on Education, as well as other normative documents and programs for educational reforming, oriented to strategic objectives of long term human development:

• provision with quality of educational standards in compulsory education;
• actualisation and modernisation of the educational content: plans, programs, textbooks, accessories for all profiles and disciplines of the education;
• reform of the system of evaluation and examination;
• restructuring system of didactical personnel forming and perfection;
• elimination of the monopoly in development and editing school textbooks, creation of a new market in this field;
• secondary technical vocational education restructuring, steady elimination of narrow specialisations, introduction of key abilities/skills, provision with a common body of general training, based on the principle "occupational family";
• forming and functioning of the mechanism for evaluation and accreditation of public and private educational institutions;
• development and diversification of the educational financing sources;
• higher education reform, provision with quality of initial forming standards, research, status of didactical and auxiliary personnel, of autonomy rapports (public and private education), of administration and management mechanisms, of institutional evaluation and accreditation etc.;
• progressive decentralisation of managing, administrative and financing mechanisms of educational institutions through shifting of the competencies to territorial bodies.

In order to implement educational objectives in context of management and financing, taking into account also the adaptation of general and vocational education to the international standards, to the strategy and necessity of the local and national economy, the state must perform an adequate distribution of competencies and responsibilities to public authorities from all levels (national, regional, local).

In development of the strategies for development and reform of the educational system, Republic of Moldova benefited from contribution and financial support of the World Bank, European Training Foundation, UNICEF and SOROS.

The most important running projects are the following:

• PEID project (Program for Early Individual Development), implemented according to Cooperation Program UNICEF – Republic of Moldova. It is aimed to pre-school education and is already 50% implemented.
• CSSD UNICEF project id aimed to children with special educational demands and institutionalised children – is being developed.
• UNICEF Nonformal Education Project has many subprojects:
• "Information and documentation centre regarding child’s rights in Republic of Moldova", which was founded in October 1998 just as a subproject of nongovernmental organisation European Youth Exchange – Moldova, supported by UNICEF and having the following objectives:
• Spreading among children and young people knowledge about the Convention regarding Children’s Rights, other national and international acts, linked to children’s rights in particular and human rights in general;
• Educating children in the light of democracy, intercultural and interpersonal communication, tolerance, peace, non-discrimination.
• Development and promotion, in co-operation with youth organisations from Moldova and abroad, of the concepts of education for democracy;
• Involving young people in activities for elimination of social exclusion, xenophobia and discrimination of all types.
• "Children Parliament" – a form and exercise of children participation, of execution of their rights, offered by the Convention regarding Children’s Rights, in participation, free expression, information and communication.

• Project "General Educational Reform in Moldova", co-financed by the World Bank and aimed to the first stage of reforming the general compulsory education (I-X classes).
• Tacis Project "Reform of the System of Education and Vocational Training in Moldova"
• Project "Happiness of the Children" – "Al. Russo" University, Balti, aimed to moral education of the children from pre-school institutions
• SOROS Foundation with the following projects and subprojects:

1. "Early Development", aimed to children of 1-3 years old from nurseries
2. "Integration of Children with Special Demands" aimed to children with deficiencies in development
3. "Step by Step" Program aimed to pre-school and primary classes children
4. Educational modernisation program "Prodidactica" aimed to lyceum and gymnasium education
5. "higher Pedagogical Education" (Pedagogical University "I. Creanga") aimed to students and professors from higher education.

The key objective of these projects is improvement of the education, its adaptation to the demands of new social, political and economical environment, by means of modernisation of the school curriculum, development of new textbooks, didactical material, personnel perfection, development and implementation of new didactical technologies and creation of a modern system of school results evaluation.

At the present moment, principal trends of education reform are oriented towards modernisation of primary and gymnasium education, consolidation and promotion of lyceum education, creation of multi-channel financing mechanisms, promotion of alternative education, implementation of creative education basis, modernisation of curriculum and didactical technologies, creation of national evaluation system, tripartite co-operation at defining occupational standards, participation of private sector at financing and administrating vocational education and, not at the last place, creation of participation-based educational system, which everyone will support personally.

In this context it is necessary to develop an efficient scheme of educational administration in co-operation with public administration bodies from the new-formed administrative-economical units – regions (judetsi). Perfection and professionalisation of educational management will allow overcoming crisis in educational system. Keeping and developing accumulated modern experience, creation of mechanisms, which would stimulate system adaptation to actual conditions and future development are being discussed now.

In order to solve these complex problems, linked to personal development, education and training, preparing for active life in always changing society it is necessary to develop a complex of co-ordinated measures on all levels of educational management and in all training steps.

Regarding all above mentioned, educational management results in management of training quality, organised on basis of educational standards and social-economical forecast of occupations and planning in this context development of educational sphere.

Taking into account cultural-economical particularities, multinational and multicultural composition of the population in republic, it is necessary to create and develop a unified educational space in order to provide with equality of chances in social integration of the young generation.

Not only accumulation and delivery of the knowledge to the young generation is important for actual area of education, but also producing new knowledge – fundamental, as well as applied, which would serve just the basis both for education, and for society development.

Co-ordinated actions between MES and other ministries are necessary for creating optimal conditions for functioning and developing educational system, for perfection of legislative and normative base of the whole system functioning.

Taking into account obstacles and trends appeared in educational development, concrete trends for reforming, adjusted for integrated system both on horizontal and on vertical directions were introduced for every step of training, for every area of activity.

Personalised education in the context of creative pedagogy is promoted in pre-school education. One of the principal functions of this step is provision with compulsory training for school. Taking into account reducing of the access to pre-school education, MES, together with local public administration bodies, must undertake a set of measures for organising new forms of training for children who don’t attend kindergartens, as well as organising groups with flexible activity regime.

Primary and gymnasium educational reform is oriented towards implementation of the new contents, organised on the basis of creative education, creation of a modern evaluation system, training and perfection of didactical personnel in context of new demands, development and implementation of an efficient mechanism of development of industry for production of school textbooks.

Pre-university post-compulsory education is aimed to satisfy various necessities of all young people, who graduated from gymnasium education, in order to provide with a place and success for everybody. Depending on the general component, studied by the pupil, will be determined the path for progressing on horizontal or vertical direction. One of the main problems is lack of necessary routs for provision with integrate implementation of the objectives of this important educational step, that’s why a review of the structure is the aim, demanding an urgent solving.

Higher education (college and university) comprises all the variety of levels and options of preceding steps of training and has the aim to train personnel wit high qualification. The list of professions must be adjusted to current and future demands of the labour market in order to provide with a real correspondence between the system of training the personnel and labour market. University autonomy is being continuously promoted, including the financial aspect.

(Basic activities for years 1999-2000 regarding educational reform are attached in Appendix 2).

Republic of Moldova has an old tradition of pre-school education. A quality and quantity process was noticed after the year 1959. So, 1786 pre-school institutions with 188000 children functioned in republic at the end of the year 1976 (for comparison – in 1945-46 25 institutions with 976 children). During 15 years this number continued to grow so, that 2322 pre-school institutions with 336500 children at the age of 1-7 functioned in republic in 19990 (statistical data of the Ministry of Education 1.01.1991).

Training-education process until 1990 was implemented on the base of "Program-type of education and training of children in kindergartens", aiming to the children at the age of 1-7, and it was edited in Moscow.

Another program "Program for children education and training in kindergartens" was edited in 1990, which actually was an adaptation of the preceding one to the cultural and national conditions and particularities.

Preschool public education was and is free, parents paying only for food (50% of the real cost of the food).

Children are benefit of educational services of didactical personnel, specially trained in colleges and pedagogical universities, placed in work by the state. In preschool institutions children are distributed in age groups:

• 1-3 years – nursery group
• 3-4 years – small group
• 4-5 years – medium group
• 5-6 years – big group
• 6-7 years – preparatory group

As a rule the age principle is kept when a new group is formed, but in rural zones, where there are few children, groups are formed from children of different age, but the training is implemented differentially, in subgroups.

Pre-school educational system went through significant changes during last 10 years. Events, which took place in the society during the period of transition, had a negative impact especially on this system.

The number of pre-school institutions and number of children in them was significantly reduced, nourishment of the children was worsened, didactical-material base is out-of-date morally and physically, and close of kindergartens created unemployment of didactical personnel.

Actually, the phenomenon of de-popularisation of the kindergartens with all these consequences was caused by the economical penury.

Administrative-territorial reform shifted financing of the social significance institutions to the local budgets, which are not able to support the expenditures for maintaining pre-school institutions. In the same time, family budget is so small that it can’t pay even for food for children in kindergartens. So, most of the children at pre-school age do not benefit from educational programs, except those children, whose parents are able to pay for them.

The number of pre-school institutions continues to decrease, as well as the number of teachers and children. 29% of kindergartens were closed in period 1992-1998, the number of children in kindergartens reduced to 41% and the number of didactical personnel – to 43%.

The process of liquidation of the kindergartens affected mostly rural localities (where 64% of children at pre-school age live), rising the difference between village and town, regarding access of children to corresponding education.

It was registered as a result of poll, held by MES, that in republic, on 1 January 1999, 1390 preschool institutions functioned, having a contingent of 126008 children (for comparison – in 1996 functioned 1774 institutions with 151093 children). About 57% of children of respective age were in preparatory groups. Other children didn’t attend kindergartens from different reasons, the most common being bad financial situation of the family – lack of clothes and shoes for winter, lack of financial resources for paying kindergarten. In some localities because of the lack of fuel kindergartens are closed for a period of 3-6 months.

So, on 1 November 1999 only 1192 pre-school institutions functioned.

The problem of financial provision of the educational process remains unsolved, as well as didactical material for children: toys, properties for artistic–plastic activity, audio and video reading-books etc. A critical situation is with nutrition of the children. Because of the lack of financial funds children do not receive the most important food: butter, milk, eggs, meat, cheese, fresh fruits, vegetables etc.

Mechanism of purchasing the food is not rationally organised, which results in expenditures, twice or thrice bigger than real ones.

A problem, still not solved, is capital and current repair of pre-school institutions. Repairs are not held in foreseen terms because of the lack of materials, as a result some kindergartens are closed from year to year.

Pre-school institutions are not sufficiently provided with fuel, detergents, disinfectants.

In such conditions psycho-pedagogical training of the children of 5-7 years old for school, as it is foreseen in the Law on Education, becomes impossible.

Only 57% of all children of respective age are involved in preparatory groups for school. The other children can’t benefit from the compulsory pre-school education, compulsion in this case being only of declarative type.

The particularities of organising and functioning of pre-school educational system force increase of parents’ contribution to covering expenditures for maintaining the kindergartens, but the pauperisation of the population limits equal access of children to corresponding education.

Problems, linked to contents, also exist. The content of training in primary forms is organised on the base of pre-school preparatory education. There’s no continuity between pre-school and primary education, because program and content of pre-school education is out-of date.

Close of groups and kindergartens caused an unemployment situation of didactical personnel.

Because of small wages and delays of their payment of more than 6 months, didactical personnel leaves the system of education, trying to find a source for existence in commerce and abroad. Unfortunately, mostly young personnel, that is well trained and would have good achievements in education, leaves. At the moment about 7000 of didactical personnel leaved the system of education. According to operative data of MES, the number of didactical personnel decreased to 12000 at the end of 1999.

Also because of the lack of financing teachers are not able to perfection their skills, don’t have enough special literature, the magazine "Pre-school Education" is no more edited.

Measures, oriented towards the redress of the situation in the system were undertaken during last 6-7 years, and some flexible regimes of kindergarten activity were organised. Instead of a program with 10.5-12 hours, groups of with regime of 4,6,9 hours began to function; new types of institutions were organised (e.g. complexes "Kindergarten-School"), private institutions appeared.

For children of this fragile age "Education Program of Children of Fragile Age (in nursery and in family)".

Number of children population of 3-5 years

Data from 1 January 1999

Year 1995 is remarkable for pre-school education – Concept of Pre-school Educational System Development in Moldova and "Curriculum of Children Education in Pre-school Institutions of Different Types" were developed and implemented.

These documents accentuate child as the centre, which means creating conditions for adequate children development, differentiate and individualised approach of the child in the inter and intra subject frame.

Curriculum comprises educational and development objectives, structures and finalities under 3 aspects: knowledge, abilities, attitudes, aiming to develop child’s personality in cognitive and verbal, social-affective and psychomotor areas. The content is queued by age and knowledge area groups: development of speech and literature, plastic arts and music, environment knowledge and social phenomena, forming elementary mathematical representations and forming of reading-writing premises.

It is up to didactical personnel to choose forms and means of implementation of educational process depending on the level of children’s knowledge and logic of leading the act of training-education.

The plan for education comprises, in dependence of age group, from 10 a

ctivities in small groups up to 16 activities in school preparatory group.

For 5-6 year-old children a new program is prepared, it will start functioning beginning with 1 September 2000.

Evaluation is performed at the end of every school year on basis of evaluation tests, developed by the educators.

A standardised evaluation system will be developed and implemented in the year 2000.

Primary education is free of charge and compulsory for all children, who attained the age of 7 on 1 September of the school year. Primary education lasts 4 years, so at the end of the primary forms children attain the age of 11. Primary education, as a rule, is organised at the place of children’s residence except small settlements, where there are no educational institutions.

Primary step of education functions in frame of lyceums, gymnasia, autonomous institutions, as well as in frame of kindergarten-school complexes.

96 autonomous schools functioned during the school year 1997/98, with 18105 children (6,7%), but 99 of classes (3,5%) first functioned in 17 kindergartens-schools. The institutionalising process of these structural units will be continued, in dependence of local conditions and will allow decongestion of overpopulated schools. Totally the contingent of this step comprises 269236 pupils (11644 classes), which is about 42% from compulsory pre-university education.

Primary education is organised in groups – classes with 25-30 children.

Number of hours differs from 20 hours per week in the I form and to 24 hours in the IV form.

Working week is 5 days. Educational process is organised in native language.

Curriculum reform finished with development and editing of the School Curriculum for I-IV forms, which was put at every teacher’s disposal in the new schools year. In contrast to preceding programs, central in their content, curriculum is based on objectives, which present "models" issuing from personality and social experience structure, synthetically combining knowledge, abilities and attitudes, which children will learn in frame of integrate school path.

Curriculum for I-IV forms is apart of general structure of national curriculum. It is developed in frame of General Educational Reform Project, co-financed by the Government of Republic of Moldova and World Bank, having in its base Educational Concept of Republic of Moldova, Law on Education, base Curriculum: regulatory documents, school subjects conceptions, data of pedagogical experiment.

Primary education curriculum has the first experience of designing new school programs types, axed on the objectives.

In the first form of the national school implementation of this new educational concept started from 1 September 1996, which regards creative effects and eventual practical applications, controlling informational aspect from the point of view of its importance and value for respective areas of reference objectives for every educational subject.

The analysis of the options in all republic regions suggested approving and supporting of the new contents, which encourage forming of cognitive, affective and psychomotor abilities of pupils. Suggested didactical methods develop creativity of children and assures implementation of the educational process through active methods of teaching. Constructive observations and suggestions will contribute to perfection of didactical materials, aimed to assure educational process.

The problem of forming and perfection of didactical personnel in the light of modern pedagogy, psychological factor in accepting the changes, flexibility lack of teachers with length of service, adequate wage lack and its delay are direct basic causes of professional blockage.

Perfection methods of the personnel, applied during the last two years, had a partial effect on provision with forming of a competent vision upon the new curriculum, technologies and contents. At the moment didactical personnel perfection courses are organised with support of the World Bank Project. For all regions a team of local instructors was prepared, its functions are measures undertaken for forming didactical personnel in the light of new demands and monitoring of the implementation of new contents.

A frequent obstacle in implementation of the reform in all regions is unsatisfactory training for school of the pupils from the I form. Approximately a half of respective contingent missed this training.

In the primary step a set of alternative programs and projects were implemented.

9 private institutions were founded during the last years, which function in the primary step of education. Attracting non-budget funds in the educational system through creating such institutions is one of the possibilities, facilitating overcoming financial crisis in education.

Educational plan for primary education comprises following subjects:

• Romanian language and literature
• Modern language
• Mathematics
• Sciences
• Romanian history
• Musical education
• Plastic education
• Technological education
• Physical training

They are distributed, according to the number of hours: