The government has approved the creation of 34 territorial education agencies, subordinate to the Ministry of Education and Research, which will take over the management of primary schools, middle schools, high schools and special education institutions from local public authorities. The transfer will take place from January 1, 2027, except for the municipalities of Chisinau and Balti, where the takeover will be carried out from January 1, 2028, reports IPN.
The new territorial agencies take over the founder’s responsibilities of the affiliated public education institutions. They will have legal personality, their own budget and structure, and the total approved staff limit is 825 personnel units.
The agencies will manage the school network, will handle human resources and the funding of institutions, will monitor the quality of education and school inclusion, and will take care of aspects related to heritage, student transportation, and support services. Moreover, they will have responsibilities regarding the organization of hiring competitions for the directors of educational institutions, who will be able to have a maximum of two terms of five years each.
The structure and regulations of each agency, as well as the list of institutions for which it will act as a founder, will be approved by the Ministry of Education and Research. The largest agency will be the one in Chisinau, for which 121 staff units are planned. The agency in Orhei will have 29 units, the one in Balti – 28, and the one in Soroca – 27. For Basarabeasca, 14 staff units are planned.
Kindergartens and extracurricular educational institutions will not be transferred to the administration of the new agencies and will remain under the supervision of local public authorities.
In UTA Gagauzia, the territorial education agency will be established by the People’s Assembly, and the structure, staffing limit, and operating regulations will be approved by the Executive Committee of Gagauzia.
