Territorial Education Agencies to take over responsibilities of education directorates

The responsibilities of the current district and municipal education directorates will be taken over by the Territorial Education Agencies (ATE), which will manage the activities of schools. The Ministry of Education and Research (MEC) is preparing the transition mechanism.

The process will include the transfer of responsibilities, staff, documents, assets and contracts, so that school activities can continue without interruption. The steps required to transition to the new administration system are outlined in a draft government decision currently undergoing approval.

Minister of Education and Research Dan Perciun said that preparing these mechanisms before the responsibilities are effectively transferred is intended to ensure the continuity of school activities and prevent administrative blockages during the transition period.

The ATE will take over the administration of public primary, lower-secondary, upper-secondary and special education institutions, while second-level local public authorities will retain their responsibilities in the areas of early education and extracurricular education.

The new agencies will be responsible for managing the school network, institutional management, human resources, financing and assets, school transportation, inclusion and monitoring the activities of educational institutions.

Once the transfer to the ATE is completed, schools will be financed directly from the state budget, based on the standard cost per student. Regarding employees of the current education directorates, the MEC emphasized that the reorganization will be carried out in compliance with the guarantees provided by labor legislation and legislation governing public service. Depending on their responsibilities and the structure of the new agencies, staff may be transferred, reassigned or employed within the new structures.

According to the MEC, for students and parents, the changes are intended to improve access to quality education, while for teachers and principals they will reduce administrative burdens and provide greater autonomy and support in managing schools.

The creation of the ATE is part of the Restart in Education reform, through which the MEC aims to establish a unified system for administering general education.

The changes will enter into force on January 1, 2027. In the case of institutions in the municipalities of Chișinău and Bălți, as well as in the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia, implementation of the reform has been postponed until January 1, 2028, to allow for a smoother transition of educational institutions to the new Territorial Education Agencies.