In the rest of the country, the new provisions are set to take effect in 2027.
According to Perciun, in the case of Chișinău, municipal authorities opposed the reform and blocked preparations for its implementation. Consequently, the municipality has been granted an additional year to demonstrate that the current management model can resolve the problems in the capital’s schools.
Among the problems mentioned by the minister are overcrowding in some schools, while others have available spots; the inclusion of children with special educational needs; informal payments; and the failure to utilize funds allocated from the state budget for education in the municipality. According to Perciun, over 90% of the budget for schools in Chișinău comes from the government.
In the case of Bălți, the one-year postponement was decided as part of a joint approach for the two municipalities with distinct statuses. According to the minister, the additional time will be used primarily to transition schools to financial self-management and to clarify issues related to property demarcation.
For the Gagauzia Autonomous Territorial Unit (UTA), the reason is the autonomy’s special legal status. Perciun clarified that the reform does not entail a change in the administrative subordination of schools within the autonomy, and the additional year will allow for the completion of ongoing political and institutional processes.
“Our direction remains unchanged: we want a system in which the quality of a child’s education does not depend on the locality where they attend school. We expect the bill to be voted on in its second reading by the end of August or early September. At the same time, we are working with the education departments to prepare for the reform’s implementation. We thank everyone who participated in the consultations, offered suggestions, and is actively involved in this transition,” the minister announced.
The reform could reduce the capital’s budget by 330 million lei
As a reminder, the “Restart in Education” reform calls for restructuring the education administration system and transferring the education departments to the direct authority of the Ministry of Education and Research. In this context, the government is proposing to reduce the share of personal income tax that remains in the budgets of the municipalities of Chișinău and Bălți from 50% to 45% of the amount collected.
In this context, the mayor of Chișinău, Ion Ceban, accused the central authorities of intending to deprive the capital of 330 million lei in a single year. The mayor claims that there is an attempt to transfer more than 330 educational institutions in Chișinău—which serve approximately 108,000 students and employ 17,000 staff members—to the jurisdiction of the relevant ministry, without taking into account the views of teachers and parents. The mayor of the capital stated that the real issue is financial, and the ultimate goal is to reduce the municipal budget.
