State Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Research Valentina Olaru said at the national conference “Inclusion, Equality and Protection in Education” that the kindergarten attendance rate for children aged 3-6 in Moldova is 98.2%. This is higher than the EU target (96%). The minimum number of hours of classes per week also exceeds European standards: 30 to 60 hours compared to 25 hours in the EU.
Moldovan kindergartens provide children with two to four meals daily, while EU countries provide a maximum of up to two meals per day. “This is one of the country’s important achievements in early education,” Olaru said.
All children up to the age of 6 have free access to educational services on a par with children in European countries.
Another achievement is that 95% of children with special needs of appropriate age are educated in general education schools. More than 1400 teachers with special training are involved in the education of such children.
At the same time, kindergartens in Moldova are inferior to EU countries. The attendance rate of children under 3 years old in our country leaves much to be desired – only 19% against 45% in the EU. “We still have a lot of work to do to get closer to the European level,” Olaru added.
Regarding Roma children, the state secretary of the ministry gave only approximate data: in the 2024/2025 school year, the education system will cover 1973 Roma children – 233 in kindergartens, almost 1700 in gymnasiums and lyceums, 33 in colleges and 20 in higher education institutions.
“However, these statistics are indicative, as much depends on people’s willingness to identify themselves as Roma,” Valentina Olaru explained.
