Moldova

In 2001, the Ministry of Education and Science was the governmental division looking after the education sector. In 2001, the Ministry was headed by a Minister and four Vice Ministers, with each being responsible for a division of the Ministry. The four divisions under the vice-ministers are the Department of General Secondary Education, the Department of Vocational Education, the Youth and Sport Department, and the Higher Education Department. In addition, the Minister looks after the fifth division called the Department of Prognosis, Resources, and Funding and that is responsible for statistics, prognostication, administrative organization, direction of didactic personnel, attestation, personnel management, international relations, and interstate exchange education.

The Department of General Secondary Education is responsible for directing preprimary and primary education, general secondary education, language, didactic supply, libraries, quality assessment, and documentation. The Department of Vocational Education is responsible for the direction of projecting and assessment of vocational education, coordination of professional lyceums, and special education. The Youth and Sport Department provides direction to youth and sport activities. The Higher Education Department is responsible for the main direction of university studies, accreditation, and authorization. It is also responsible for continuing education of didactic personnel (educators). The Higher Education Department is further comprised of four institutions. The first is the Faculties of Institutions of Higher Education (FIHE) that oversees the training of education administrators at the "Ion Creanga" State Pedagogical State University of Moldova. The second is The National Institute of Physical Education and Sport (NIPES) that trains sport coaches. The third is The National Institute of Continuing Education (NICE) that trains personnel from private institutions, looks after bilateral agreements for training abroad, looks after the training needs of the Ministry personnel, and conducts various refresher courses. And the fourth is The Division of Teacher Training and Post University Centers.

Financing of the education sector in the new republic has been a constant struggle. In 2001, government funding ensured only basic functioning of educational establishments. No funding was allocated for construction or for teaching aids. In 1995, of the 93 book titles to be published, only 14 were issued. In 1999, the consolidated budget expenditure on education was 614 million lei. In 1990, the public expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure was 17 percent, and in 1996 this was 28 percent. According to UNESCO statistics, in 1996, teachers' emoluments as a percentage of total education expenditure accounted for 71 percent. The percentage expenditure by level revealed spending as 25 percent on preprimary and primary levels, 53 percent on secondary levels, and 13 percent on tertiary levels. In 1996, expenditure per pupil as a percentage of GNP per capita was 24 percent for preprimary and primary school, 53 percent for secondary schools, and 64 percent for tertiary level schools.