Dan Perchun
The measure will be a precedent for the Republic of Moldova. According to Education and Enlightenment Minister Dan Perciun, the innovation represents “very good news for 12th grade graduates from Russian-language schools.”
“We decided to offer this opportunity, this incentive, because knowing Romanian at an advanced level is very important for social cohesion. It is crucial to have a society in which citizens understand each other and have a high level of Romanian language skills. Without this, without the ability to speak to each other, we remain a weak society, a society divided and exposed to external risks. Accordingly, the school has a very important mission to ensure the necessary level of linguistic competence,” Dan Perciun said.
He recalled that in the 2025 exam on Romanian as a non-native language in the 9th grade, the achievement rate was only 82%. “Since it was the first time we had a fair exam, we were able to establish what the level of preparation of our students really is. And it is in this context that we considered it right to offer additional incentives, along with other measures we are planning, so that the level of Romanian language proficiency will increase,” the minister said.
The mechanism is completely the same as the one already in place for foreign languages. “I remind you that for more than 10 years now, our students can be exempted from the Baccalaureate exam in foreign languages if they have such a certificate. It is a classic exam that everyone is used to – whether it is TOEFL, IELTS or any other certificate, such as DAAD, if we are talking about German,” explained Perchun.
To receive a grade of “10” automatically, students need to prove a communicative level of at least B2, according to the pan-European scale. The exam includes not only the written part, but also listening and speaking, which, according to the ministry, allows to test real communicative skills.
The first testing sessions for the certificate will be held in February 2026. The ministry encourages students to take advantage of the new opportunity.
