School Barometer conducted for first time in Moldova: Most students, parents and teachers have positive perception of general education

Seven out of ten students, parents and teachers have a positive perception of education in the Republic of Moldova, and eight out of ten students and parents are satisfied with the quality of studies offered in schools. The conclusions are set out in a school survey - Barometer of the situation in secondary education, presented today in Chișinău.

The School Barometer was carried out for the first time in the Republic of Moldova, on a nationally representative sample, and included more than 2,100 students in grades 5–12, 1,570 parents, 2,463 teachers and 95 principals. The study covered 110 secondary schools in 71 localities, including 46 villages and 25 towns. The institutions were selected randomly.

The Barometer assesses perceptions regarding the quality of education, the school climate, respect for children’s rights and the level of integrity in general education institutions. The study provides an overview of the education system from the perspective of students, parents, teachers and school principals.

Minister of Education and Research Dan Perciun said that the survey was conducted to get a clear picture of realities in the system, to see to what extent the actions implemented actually produce results, and to propose targeted policies to improve the situation in the coming years.

“This barometer is a first and a starting point. We set out to manage to quantify the reality in our education system, for which we have not really had data so far. Although we are all making very big efforts in many areas, we do not necessarily understand whether everything we do is really producing change or not. So the objective of this barometer is quite simple: to take a snapshot of the current situation and to place a mirror in front of us, highlighting certain realities, not to criticize us, but to help us become better in the future and to understand the extent to which the range of actions we undertake produces a real result in the system,” said Dan Perciun.

The Minister of Education also referred to the importance of the study in the context of major changes planned in the system over the next few years.

“The objective is to improve things over time, treating these data as a starting point. The Barometer tells us about the quality of education, about our school textbooks, about the study conditions in our schools. And, in a way, it is wonderful that we have it today, when we are, in a sense, at the beginning of the road in a very broad process of modernizing the system, from investments in model schools, in equipment, in the digitalization of the system, to a new school curriculum and new textbooks, which await us in 2027. So we are on the verge of major and important changes in the system, and the Barometer will serve as a starting point and will help us, in two years’ time, to see to what extent those new school textbooks that we will have in 2027 will begin to change things and will be more appreciated by students, teachers and parents,” he said.

MEC aims for the Barometer to be carried out every two years, in order to analyze the situation in the system comparatively over time. “So that in two years we can understand to what extent things have changed, to what extent there is more safety in our schools, to what extent our children continue or, on the contrary, no longer reproduce certain stereotypes of society, to what extent phenomena related to informal payments are still present or not in our education institutions, and whether the participation of girls becomes more and more a reality in our schools,” the minister said.

The Barometer was carried out at the initiative of MEC, with the support of the European Union, the Government of Norway, UK Aid, UNICEF Moldova, UNFPA, UNDP, UN Women and UNHCR.

Maha Damaj, UNICEF Country Representative said that the Barometer is a complex study that offers more than data: it reveals structural patterns that will influence Moldova’s long-term development.

“If we want to anticipate the trajectory of Moldovan society in the coming decades, we must start by analyzing its platforms. The study presented today allows us to examine this system with empirical precision. It offers more than data; it reveals structural patterns that will influence Moldova’s long-term development if they are not neglected. The Barometer provides an evidence platform that goes beyond diagnosis; it clarifies where institutional alignment is needed, where capacity-building is necessary and where intersectoral cooperation is essential. It allows MEC to move from implemented initiatives to systemic coherence. If we accept that today’s classroom shapes tomorrow’s society, then education reform is not a sectoral adjustment; it is a strategic investment in Moldova’s social contract,” Maha Damaj emphasized.

According to the survey, 73% of students and parents are satisfied with the way teachers teach in school, and seven out of ten students and parents, as well as eight out of ten teachers and principals, have a positive view of the comfort in classrooms.

The Barometer also highlights the need for interventions in the school textbooks and STEM subjects, particularly physics, chemistry and mathematics, which are assessed more critically by both students and teachers. Only just over half of respondents consider the textbooks for these school subjects to be easy to understand, interesting and sufficient to cover the taught material.

At the same time, students indicate as curriculum priorities topics such as health education, career guidance, human rights and financial education.

The study’s data also show that most respondents believe that children’s rights are respected in school, but the right to non-discrimination remains the most vulnerable. In addition, not all institutions are fully adapted for children with disabilities, and sanitary infrastructure needs improvement.

With regard to the school climate and academic integrity, the data indicate the existence of cheating during assessments and differences in perception between students and teachers. Thus, the data show that 61% of students have cheated at least once during tests or examinations. To ensure fairness in the assessment process, the Ministry has introduced centralized marking of exam papers for 9th grade exams and the assignment of external assistants in institutions, alongside the implementation of sectoral anti-corruption plans.

Regarding informal payments, the study highlights differing perceptions between students and parents about the consequences of refusing to contribute financially. Thus, 85% of parents, compared with 58% of students, state that there are no consequences if they refuse to contribute. To strengthen transparency, institutions are encouraged to use the government MPay service for collecting donations, on the basis of a clear regulatory framework.

The Barometer also underlines the need to strengthen mechanisms for preventing and combating bullying. In this regard, the Ministry is updating methodological guidelines, developing a dedicated national program and implementing, together with other institutions and partners, joint actions to prevent violence and promote students’ well-being.

The survey also reveals that 28% of students feel stressed because of schoolwork in most lessons or almost every lesson, compared with 11% of parents (in relation to their children). At the same time, 68% of students feel, to a great or very great extent, anxious that they might fail tests and exams, 64% worry that they will receive low grades at school, 43% frequently worry that lessons are difficult, and every fourth student becomes very stressed when they have to do their homework.