Moldova hires record 426 young teachers, despite 'chronic' shortage
A total of 426 young teachers have been hired in schools and kindergartens across the Republic of Moldova for the current academic year.
The Ministry of Education and Research (MEC) in Chișinău said the figure was a 'record' for the last eight years.
Of the total, 89 chose to work as primary school teachers. Another 74 graduates were hired as preschool teachers, 36 opted to teach Romanian language, and 23 chose History.
The Minister of Education and Research, Dan Perciun, said: "We have broken another record! We have the highest number of young people who have chosen to go and teach in schools and kindergartens in the last eight years! He added: "Our strategic objective for the next four years is to reach 500 newly placed young teachers, with at least half of them teaching Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines."
According to regional distribution data, most graduates chose to work in educational institutions in Chișinău, UTA Găgăuzia, Bălți, Orhei, and Ialoveni.
Compared to previous years, the figures show a constant increase in interest in the teaching profession: 404 young people were hired in 2024, followed by 365 in 2023, and 296 in 2022.
However, the shortage of teaching staff remains a major problem. The 2025-2026 academic year began with more than 1,500 vacant posts, particularly in the exact sciences (STEM fields). Authorities describe the shortage as 'chronic'.
This situation is also reflected in the international PISA assessments, where Moldova is situated in the middle of the global ranking for educational performance—a signal that, despite the reforms and investments of recent years, the quality of education continues to be hampered by the lack of human resources.
To attract young people to Pedagogy (Teaching), the MEC has conducted several campaigns and competitions. The main objective was to attract at least 500 young teachers to schools and kindergartens—an increase of over 20% compared to last year—and a chance to reduce the acute lack of teachers in educational institutions.
It is understood that, according to a Government decision, graduates of pedagogical faculties receive a one-time allowance of 200,000 lei during their first five years of teaching. Graduates of vocational-technical programmes also benefit from a one-time allowance of 160,000 lei under the same conditions.
In addition to the one-time allowances, young teachers employed in teaching posts benefit from compensation for expenses during the first five years of activity, covering: renting housing space (1,000 lei monthly), and electricity and heating consumption (3,000 lei annually), if they work in public general education institutions in rural areas, regional centers, and UTA Găgăuzia (the Gagauz Autonomous Region).
Translation by Iurie Tataru
