PHOTO// Moldovan head of state announces new measures for protection of Gagauz language

President Maia Sandu today visited the municipality of Comrat, where she discussed with teachers the need to consolidate efforts to save the Gagauz language, which UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) has included in the list of languages at risk of extinction.

At the meeting, attended also by Minister of Education and Research Dan Perciun, a new professional training programme was announced for educators teaching the Gagauz language in kindergartens of the autonomy.

“We discussed how we can improve the teaching of the Gagauz language in educational institutions of the autonomy,” Sandu noted.

Also today, the Moldovan president visited the Mihai Eminescu Theoretical Lyceum from Comrat, the only institution of the city where the teaching is fully in  the Romanian language. The lyceum’s renovation was carried out with support on behalf of the Romanian government and contributions from the state budget.

The lyceum hosts 600 students divided into 27 classes. A new study block was inaugurated in 2024, with construction funded with 22,819,000 lei from the state budget, along with a grant worth over 3 million lei from the Romanian government. In the summer of 2024, the Ministry of Education and Research additionally allocated 2,900,000 lei to complete the works.

The Mihai Eminescu Theoretical Lyceum stands out with a 100-per cent pass rate in national exams in recent years and the implementation of modern educational projects, such as Tekwill in Every School, Participatory Budgeting in Schools and Class of the Future.