Moldovan education ministry asks for withdrawal of approval for name of subject, Romanians' and Universal History

The Ministry of Education and Research (MEC) has made an official request to the Council for Equality for the withdrawal of the approval regarding the name of the subject, Romanians’ and Universal History, noting that the approval had been issued ‘’in violation of legal regulations.’’

In its approval, the Council said that the name, History of Romanians, represented a form of direct discrimination and recommended its change.

According to MEC, ‘’the approval by the Council for Equality was issued in violation of legal standards, with conclusions drawn based on erroneous data.’’ Under these circumstances, MEC requested the withdrawal of the approval, considering it ‘’unfounded and creating a dangerous precedent regarding educational autonomy.’’

In a press release, MEC emphasized that, since 2019, the official name of the subject has been Romanians’ and Universal History, which reflects an integrated approach where national history is presented in a global context. Ignoring this full title led to an erroneous conclusion by the Council, the MEC highlighted.

‘’Moreover, MEC points out that the approval was issued following an individual complaint, and according to law, in such cases, the Council should issue decisions, not approvals. Unlike a decision, an approval cannot be appealed in court, which limited the Ministry's right to respond by legal means,’’ MEC said.

At the same time, according to the cited source, the examination of the complaint regarding the name of the school subject took more than five years, exceeding the legal term set by legislation, which is 90 days, with the possibility of extending the term by a maximum of 60 days. Moreover, although the Council for Equality examined the concerned complaint for more than five years, the opinion of the Ministry of Education and Research was requested only during 2019-2020 and was not updated subsequently, states the MEC.

‘’The content of the approval does not include the conclusions of the expertise cited in an interview by the Council's president, allegedly performed by a research center in Canada. At the same time, there was no analysis presented of the content of the subject. The Council limited itself to an interpretation of the name without considering that, in schools where children from minorities’ communities study, they also learn the history of their own ethnicity, complementing the common curriculum,’’ MEC said.

The Ministry emphasized that the current name was established with the involvement of experts from the field, in order to reflect the balance between scientific rigor and the inclusive nature of education.

‘’There is no evidence that this name negatively affects students of other ethnicities or limits their access to education. Thus, students from minority ethnicities are given the possibility of knowing their own history at school, complementing the common core represented by the subject, Romanians’ and Universal History. This approach - an inclusive common curriculum combined with specific study of minorities’ history - reflects compliance with international recommendations,’’ MEC noted.

According to opinions/formulated views by a string of relevant institutions, including: the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, the Institute of Legal, Political and Sociological Research of Moldova State University, Alecu Russo State University of Balti, Ion Creanga Pedagogical State University, the Institute of History of Moldova State University, the Faculty of History and Philosophy of Moldova State University, ‘’the name and curriculum content for the subject,  Romanians’ and Universal History, have a non-discriminatory character and comply with international principles and standards in education.’’

In last mid-May, the Council for Equality issued an opinion suggesting that the school's subject name, History of Romanians, has a discriminatory character against other ethnic groups of Moldova.