“This is impossible for me to understand. Universities have autonomy, and Cahul University is a reality that emerged from a real need. The support of Romanian universities was vital for its functioning,” Ioan Aurel Pop told Romanian newspaper Libertatea, emphasizing that the decision to liquidate it was a “bad sign.”
It is worth mentioning that his name appears among the signatories of a public petition for the preservation of Cahul University’s independence, with the comment: “The university is a light! Do we want to live in the darkness of ignorance?”.
The signatories include writers, journalists, politicians and numerous alumni from both home and abroad.
Politician Constantin Codreanu emphasizes that preserving university autonomy and supporting regional universities is not a whim, but a strategic interest of the Republic of Moldova: “Moldova needs strong regional universities, not institutions sacrificed for the sake of eternal mandates!”.
For his part, another politician, Ștefan Secăreanu, argues that the planned “reorganization” is actually tantamount to the liquidation of the university, and that the institution should be strengthened and modernized, not closed.
Logos Press recalls that at the end of 2025, the authorities launched public consultations on the accession of the State University in Cahul “Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu” to the Technical University of Moldova.
The reform has been strongly criticized by politicians and civil activists. At the same time, the authorities cite many arguments in favor of the reform, including the attraction of additional resources, investment in infrastructure, and the opening of new faculties.
In this context, the Ministry of Education and Research notes on its social media page that over the past four years, more than 500 million lei has been raised for the modernization of higher education institutions, as well as another 93 million lei to improve conditions in dormitories.
It is worth mentioning that currently, the Education Code does not allow the same person to hold more than two rector mandates; the proposed amendments also allow for a third mandate to lead the merged university. By transforming TUM, the authorities, according to observers, intend to “ensure a third term of rector” for Viorel Bostan.
