Moldova's schools to be transferred under subordination of Education Ministry; government approves Restart in Education reform

The schools of Moldova will be placed under the subordination of the Education and Research Ministry (MEC), with the establishment of the Territorial Education Agencies (ATE). This measure is provided for in the Restart in Education reform, approved by the government.

Presently, schools are administered by district and municipal councils through local education departments. The new agencies will replace these departments and will become the founders of primary schools, gymnasiums, lyceums, and special education institutions. Kindergartens and extracurricular institutions will remain under the administration of local public authorities.

The ATEs will manage the funding of institutions, approve the number of classes and staffing schemes, set school districts, monitor compliance with compulsory schooling, intervene in the management of infrastructure and budgets, combat absenteeism and bullying and support children with special educational needs. For pupils and parents, the reform will ensure faster interventions and more efficient support services, while for teachers and headmasters it will provide access to specialists and resources that many schools currently lack.

“The switch of schools under the Ministry of Education’s subordination, through the Restart in Education reform, aims to ensure that every child benefits from the same standards of quality, support and safety, regardless of whether they study in a big city or in a small village. Today, the quality of education a child can access depends heavily on the capacity and involvement of district councils, which are the founders of schools. In some districts, there are specialists, resources, and support, while in others schools must largely manage on their own. The place where a pupil is born must not determine their future and state education policies must be implemented uniformly across the entire country,” said Education and Research Minister Dan Perciun.

The Restart in Education reform has three major objectives:

1) Strengthening the administrative capacity of the structures responsible for managing schools by increasing salaries, reducing the number of vacant positions, digitizing processes and introducing modern management based on objectives and measurable results.

2) Ensuring the coherent and effective implementation, at the level of every school, of the policies promoted by the Education and Research Ministry. The reform targets the strengthening of schools’ institutional and financial autonomy, de-bureaucratization, transforming inspections from a punitive mechanism into a tool for support and quality improvement, reducing informal payments, promoting inclusion, preventing and combating bullying, promoting patriotic education and national values, as well as ensuring integrity at examinations. The ATEs will ensure the consistent, top‑down implementation of state educational policies, eliminating the fragmentation of responsibilities.

3) Establishing an education governance system based on the best interests of the child and, equally, on data and evidence. The ATEs will help limit the influence of local political factors on the allocation of investments, the selection of principals, and the organization of the school network, so that decisions are transparent, equitable and grounded in the real needs of pupils and communities.

Once they are transferred to the Territorial Education Agencies, schools will be funded directly from the state budget based on a standard cost per pupil. At present, the money reaches institutions through local budgets. School budgets and reports on their implementation will be published online, so that parents and communities can see how public funds are spent.

The directors of the Territorial Education Agencies will be selected through open competitions and appointed for five‑year terms. The same person will not be able to lead an agency for more than two terms. Civil servants from the current district and municipal education departments will be eligible for transfer to vacant positions at the new agencies.

The document guarantees the continuation of funding for extended‑programme groups and classes with arts or sports profiles that operated in the 2025–2026 school year. If the number of such classes or groups changes, the earmarked financial resources will not be withdrawn from the territorial agency’s budget, but may be used for institutions in its service area.

The government is to establish, by October 30, 2026, the 35 ATEs, along with their structure and staffing limits. The transfer of schools and the application of the new funding system are scheduled for January 1, 2027. Under the special law on the autonomy of the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia, schools of the region are not covered by the reform.