Five Centers of Excellence will be created in Moldova in the near future in a move to reorganize the technical vocational education. In the July 14 meeting of the Government, acting minister of education Maia Sandu presented a relevant legislative initiative to reorganize the trade schools by closing or merging them with a vocational school or with one of the Centers of Excellence that will be created, IPN reports.

Maia Sandu said the Centers of Excellence will also work as methodological centers, created based on powerful institutions, for the key areas of the national economy such as building, light industry, IT and communications, services, food processing and transport.

The acting minister noted that only five of the planned ten Centers of Excellence will be initially set up because they do not yet have the necessary financial resources. The reorganization is needed as many technical vocational institutions are poorly equipped and the quality of studies leaves much to be desired.

The Centers of Excellence will offer programs of study for colleges, vocational schools of two years and vocational schools of three years. This way the services will be concentrated as a good college teacher can be a good teacher at the vocational school too, stated Maia Sandu.

Under the Education Code, the trade schools will be closed this year. Five of the trade schools will be transformed into four vocational schools, five will be absorbed by vocational schools, two schools, from Todiresti village of Anenii Noi district and from Falesti town, will be closed, while another five schools will be absorbed by vocational schools or included in a Center of Excellence.