1992 – War That Cannot Be Forgotten // Ion Iovcev, Former Principal of Lucian Blaga Lyceum in Tiraspol: I took out children, stamp and school bell

“I took the children, the school stamp, the bell and that was it. I was left alone with four employees, but I did not give in,” recalls Ion Iovcev, former principal of the Theoretical Lyceum “Lucian Blaga” in Tiraspol, about the beginning of 1992, when the war broke out. “The functioning of schools teaching in the Romanian language in the Transnistrian region was put at risk,” the teacher states.

During the period, educational institutions in the region were forced to cope with harsh conditions, and the school’s activity continued with minimal resources.


“The university in Tiraspol was evacuated to Chișinău. I took the children, the school stamp, the bell and that was it. We had no typewriters, no resources, practically we no longer even had a school. The children were sent to Romania for safety. I was left alone with four employees,” said Ion Iovcev.




The situation gradually began to stabilize after the signing of the ceasefire agreement, and pupils and some of the teachers returned to Tiraspol.


“On September 1, after the signing of the ceasefire agreement, the children and some of the teachers returned. Many teachers had left for Chișinău. We did not have enough teaching staff, but parents kept bringing their children. They were largely intellectuals, doctors, engineers, many originally from the right bank of the Dniester, but who lived in Tiraspol and had nowhere to go,” said the former principal.




The decision to keep the school open was a firm one, supported by both teachers and parents.


“We decided to keep the school at any cost. On November 28, 1992, we consecrated it. From that moment, the number of pupils began to grow. We opened primary classes in several kindergartens in the city. In one year we had five first grades, totaling 125 children. It was proof that parents had confidence,” declared Ion Iovcev.


In the following years, the pressures on the institution became increasingly strong, including attempts to force it to abandon the Latin script.


“Constant pressure followed. I was asked to give up the Latin script. I refused. They sent commissions, tried intimidation and ‘amicable discussions’. I did not give in. In 1994, the school was occupied. Pupils were driven out into the street, and people supported by separatist structures entered the building. The furniture was destroyed, school documents were devastated. I was dismissed from my position. Parents reacted immediately: they organized permanent guard, day and night, and declared that the principal would remain in office as long as they supported him,” recounted Ion Iovcev.




At the same time, the lyceums in Tighina and Tiraspol organized a protest march in which pupils, parents and teachers took part.


“In the same year, the lyceums in Tighina and Tiraspol organized a protest march. Over a thousand children, parents and teachers set off on foot towards Tiraspol. The roads were blocked, and military equipment was stationed along the roadside. It was a moment of maximum tension,” said the former principal.


Looking back, Iovcev says that all these efforts were worth it, as the school managed to survive and to educate generations of pupils.


“Today, looking back, I can say that the sacrifices were not in vain. Many of our pupils have become accomplished people: doctors, university professors, businesspeople, athletes. The school has endured,” concluded Ion Iovcev.


The former education manager believes that the initiative of the authorities in Chișinău to switch to teaching in Romanian in all schools in the Transnistrian region is “a correct step”. According to him, education is the strongest form of resistance and the safest investment in the future.


The Romanian language in schools in the Transnistrian region. Ion Iovcev: “Education remains the strongest form of resistance”


For almost three decades, Ion Iovcev led the Theoretical Lyceum “Lucian Blaga” in Tiraspol, with instruction in Romanian, contributing to the preservation of education and cultural identity in the region. For his activity, he was awarded the Order of the Republic, one of the state’s highest distinctions. In 2014 he also received the Order “Star of Romania”, granted by the former President of Romania, Traian Băsescu, in recognition of his role in defending cultural values and Romanian communities.