Number of Moldovan students increased twice in 20 years

Currently, in Moldova there are two times more students than in the 1991/1992 academic year. According to an opinion poll, 34% of those who chose to obtain higher education did it because they want to have a more interesting life and because in Moldova it is fashionable to have higher education, Info-Prim Neo reports. The Association of Sociologists and Demographers of Moldova conducted the poll between January 9 and 18. The results show that 29% of the respondents want to obtain higher education in order to have a well paying job, while 19% - in order to have a better status in society. “6% of those polled said they applied to university because they want to move from village to town and to have a better life. 5% of the respondents said that this way they wanted to obtain a delay before finding employment, while 5% said they want to go abroad. Only 2% of those questioned said the higher education in their families is a tradition,” the Association’s head Victor Mocanu said in a news conference. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the number of students in 1990/1991 was 54,000, while in 2010/2011- 107,800. The students in secondary vocational education decreased in number from 59,000 in 1990/1991 to 21,400 in 2010/2011. The Ministry of Education, in its synthesis “New competences for a new economic growth: problems and solutions” of July 2011, says that about 30% of the graduates do not work according to their qualifications and the absence of mechanisms for monitoring the professional career makes the problem less visible. In fact, this points to the irrelevance of the studies and the inability to find employment. The respondents consider that the profession of doctor is the most prestigious one, followed by those of teacher and jurist. The builders take the fourth position, while the civil servants the fourth. Among other respected professions, the Moldovans named those of economist, bookkeeper, banker, programmer, engineer and manager. Only for 15% of those polled, the studies, books and trips are values in life. Education is a value for 13% of the respondents.