Comrat debates new regional education law
A new regional law on education is under discussion in the Gagauz autonomy. The executive office in Comrat has registered the project with the People's Assembly. Consultations and examination are underway. The novelty is the introduction of the Gagauz language and the history of the Gagauz in all schools, including Romanian lyceums. The project provides for patriotic education lessons with an emphasis on the formation of a regional identity. The authorities in Comrat claim that the document is in line with national legislation. The initiative is welcomed by teachers at the "Dumitru Caraciobanu" Lyceum in Comrat.
"It's a great advantage, that's my vision. Why? Because, for example, in lyceums with teaching in Romanian, Gagauz was not studied as a subject. This law obliges them to study it, and we expect all children to learn it, to speak and know our Gagauz language", says Gagauz language teacher Evghenia Iancioglo.
"Multilingualism is applied in all educational institutions in the Gagauz autonomy, including the study and use of Gagauz, Romanian, Russian and foreign languages. This allows students to be fluent in two or more languages and to develop effective communication skills in Romanian, their native language and other languages. The main goal of multilingualism is the integration of children into the national and international educational space",says teacher Maria Potrasco.
"I believe that this law is an important step towards creating a society capable of opposing the falsification of historical truth, but also the use of history against our country. We all have the mission to preserve and transmit knowledge about the history of our people", says history teacher Maria Ratcoglo.
In the Gagauz autonomy, in only two lyceums, all subjects are taught in Romanian, in Comrat and Vulcănești. In the other 40-plus schools, the language of instruction is Russian. But there are also some Romanian classes.
“The study, development and expansion of the sphere of use of the Gagauz language is a priority in our educational system. Multilingual education programs are implemented among children, including in kindergarten. Non-linguistic subjects are taught in the state language, in the mother tongue, or in foreign languages. And our schools, depending on the pedagogical possibilities and available resources, started to apply this model”, says the head of the Regional Education Directorate, Natalia Cristeva.
In 2018, the Supreme Court of Justice rejected a regional education law. At that time, the Comrat authorities insisted on issuing their graduation diplomas.
