Moldova

The secondary education consists of two tracks: general and vocational. General secondary education from grades 5-9 is called the gymnasium level. The gymnasium level accepts all primary school students without any competition. The emphasis of this level is to prepare the students for liceul or professional education. The level ends with final examinations in several subjects conducted by the Ministry. At completion of this level, the Gymnasium Studies Certificate is awarded.

The grades 10-12 (three years) are called the liceul level. The vocational track is called the professional liceul and may in some cases have three to five years of training. Admission to the tracks is decided through competition based on guidelines stipulated by the Ministry. Graduates from lyceum are awarded a Diploma of Baccalaureate. In cases of failure, the examinations can be taken at least two more times within the next three years.

According to UNESCO statistics, in 1996, there were a total of 445,501 students in the secondary school system of which 223,162 (50 percent) were females and 419,256 (94 percent) were in the general secondary track. In 2000, there were 79 professional vocational education units of which 17 were trade schools. About 33,000 students were studying in professional tracks.