Moldova modernizes school bathrooms for student comfort
The sanitary conditions in schools across the country are starting to improve visibly.
At the "Constantin Stere" Theoretical High School in Soroca, four sanitary facilities are currently being renovated and will be ready by the beginning of the school year. The work is part of a large national project modernizing the sanitary infrastructure in 20 educational institutions.
According to the institution's employees, the previous conditions didn't meet sanitary standards.
"Until now, we've had sanitary facilities in the Soviet-era style. From now on, we'll have facilities that meet European requirements. And for student privacy, each stall will be separate."
"The renovations are very welcome because the old facilities dated back to '91 when the high school opened. The conditions weren't great—there wasn't enough water, and the stalls weren't partitioned. We hope the new ones will help students feel more comfortable at school."
The budget for the renovation of the four sanitary facilities is 654 thousand lei. But the projects don't end there. Other modernization work for the institution is also planned.
"In 2018, we had a project with the Embassy of Japan where we rehabilitated ten sanitary facilities, and now four more are next. We'll have better conditions. Given that we're included in the network of model schools, we will also rehabilitate the entire high school building, but this is a first step in improving the quality of education," says Vasile Baș, director of the "Constantin Stere" Theoretical High School.
In total, a budget of 23.5 million lei was approved for this year's projects.
"I hope that by the end of 2026, we will have solved the major outstanding problems. In fact, we're no longer just prioritizing schools that have no facilities at all, since this is now a widespread issue. Basically, where it could be solved, it has been solved. We're also focusing on the repair of existing facilities, and we even have a beneficiary school in the Chișinău municipality," says Dan Perciun, Minister of Education and Research.
The renovation of sanitary facilities in schools across the country began in 2024 with the support of UNICEF and the German Development Bank. The goal is to modernize over 160 facilities by the end of next year.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
