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Moldova education enrollment and school closures

Updated 2 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-03 05:42 UTC → 2026-08-05 19:09 UTC · added removed

Moldova’s education system is shrinking continues to contract in physical infrastructure while student numbers keep climbing. Over the past seven years total pupils and university students rose by more than 14,000, lifting student enrollment per 10,000 inhabitants from 1,600 in 2019 rose to about 1,900 roughly 449,200 in 2025. At the same time, operating schools fell by 103, with primary 2026. Primary and secondary institutions dropping schools fell from 1,255 to 1,173 and universities from 27 to 16. 16, yet university enrolments grew 6.8% to about 64,300. The government allocated 9,013 state‑funded university places for the 2026‑27 academic year – 5,380 for bachelor and integrated programmes, 2,771 for master’s studies, 504 for residencies and clinical training, and 225 for doctorates – with quotas for disadvantaged groups, the diaspora and the left‑bank region. The teaching workforce also contracted, with kept shrinking: school teachers falling from 27,400 dropped by 1,600 to 25,800 25,800, technical‑college staff fell by around 400 and university faculty shrinking by roughly 600. Demographic pressure is shifting students to urban centres; Chișinău now hosts over 110,000 learners. Analyst Veaceslav Ioniță warns that these trends, combined with teacher shortages, could further strain the system. Foreign student enrolments continued their upward trajectory, reaching numbers hit a record 6,423 in the 2025‑2026 academic 2025‑26 year – about 10.2% (10.2% of all students. More than half come from Romania, followed by India, Ukraine, Turkey and Israel, although Israeli numbers have fallen sharply and about 3,500 students have been lost from several traditional markets in recent years. Analyst Veaceslav Ioniță called the surge an under‑exploited strategic opportunity and urged the education and economy ministries to intensify international recruitment. In August, Chișinău hosted the “Apex Maths” summer school, highlighting students), with Romanians forming the capital’s growing role as majority. The same period saw a regional academic hub. Starting sharp rise in the 2027‑2028 academic year, Moldova will launch temporary work permits – over 5,600 issued, about 3,900 for employment – mainly to Asian nationals, reflecting a growing labour shortage in construction, industry, agriculture and services. The two‑million‑euro EU‑funded master’s programme in European Affairs Affairs, launching in 2027‑28 under Erasmus+, partnering with universities in France, Italy and Estonia. The programme aims to train specialists remains a key initiative to engage with European institutions and reforms. Analysts warn that teacher shortages, school closures and shifting demographics could further strain the system, underscoring the need for stronger promotion of Moldovan higher education abroad. strengthen Moldova’s academic profile.

Versions

  1. 2026-08-05 19:09 UTC Moldova education enrollment and school closures
  2. 2026-08-03 05:42 UTC Moldova education enrollment and school closures
  3. 2026-08-01 09:06 UTC Moldova education enrollment and school closures

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