Under the new provisions, Territorial Education Agencies will be established to replace the current district and municipal education directorates. These will report directly to the Ministry of Education and Research and will be responsible for the running of primary and secondary schools, the appointment and evaluation of headteachers, the quality of education, school infrastructure and transport. Nurseries and out-of-school educational institutions will remain under the management of local authorities.
The mechanism for funding schools is also being amended. Once they come under the authority of the territorial agencies, educational institutions will receive funds directly from the state budget, based on the number of pupils and the established cost of educating a child. Information on school budgets and how they are used is to be published online.
Most of the reform is due to be implemented from 1 January 2027. For schools in Chișinău, Bălți and the Gagauzia Autonomous Territorial Unit (UTA), the transition period has been extended until 1 January 2028. At the same time, the reform provides for the redistribution of a portion of personal income tax revenue from Chișinău and Bălți to the state budget.
The Mayor of Chișinău, Ion Ceban, previously stated that the reform would lead to a reduction in municipal budget revenue of approximately 330 million lei and announced his intention to initiate a local referendum. The issue also sparked a dispute in Parliament between Ceban and the leadership of the legislature.
The Minister for Education and Research, Dan Perciun, argued, for his part, that the reform is necessary to reduce disparities in the quality of education between localities, cut red tape, expand schools’ autonomy and reduce political influence over the education system.
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