---
title: "MEC prepares new mathematics curriculum and new measures to promote reading, following PISA results"
url: https://radiomoldova.md/p/84767/mec-prepares-new-mathematics-curriculum-and-new-measures-to-promote-reading-following-pisa-results
published: 2026-09-10T06:15:00Z
language: en
author: "Ana Cebotari"
section: "Social"
source: radiomoldova.md
---

# MEC prepares new mathematics curriculum and new measures to promote reading, following PISA results

> The Ministry of Education plans to revise the mathematics curriculum and introduce Estonian textbooks for students in grades 1-12. Additionally, the Ministry will implement mandatory training programs for teachers facing difficulties. Authorities will also propose changes to the 9th-grade exams and pilot a daily reading initiative that requires students to read for 30 minutes each day. The Minister of Education, Dan Perciun, announced these measures in response to the PISA 2025 results, which revealed a decline in students' performance in mathematics and reading in the Republic of Moldova.

![](https://storage.radiomoldova.md/images/902fd6d5-5b54-4446-a7e2-818fb5abad10.jpg)

The Ministry of Education plans to revise the mathematics curriculum and introduce Estonian textbooks for students in grades 1-12. Additionally, the Ministry will implement mandatory training programs for teachers facing difficulties. Authorities will also propose changes to the 9th-grade exams and pilot a daily reading initiative that requires students to read for 30 minutes each day. The Minister of Education, Dan Perciun, announced these measures in response to the PISA 2025 results, which revealed a decline in students' performance in mathematics and reading in the Republic of Moldova.

In mathematics, the Ministry of Education is currently developing a new curriculum and plans to introduce Estonian textbooks for grades 1-12. Teachers facing challenges will also take part in mandatory in-service training programs to strengthen their skills.

To boost reading abilities, authorities will continue promoting reading from kindergarten onward. Through the “Read Me 100 Stories” program, the ministry has already distributed over 140,000 books to 1,300 kindergartens across the country. The ministry will maintain its efforts to provide institutions with books and train teachers.

Another proposed measure is to revise the content of the 9th-grade exams, placing greater emphasis on skills similar to those assessed in the PISA evaluations. The ministry also plans to test an optional program that encourages students to read for 30 minutes daily, fostering a consistent reading habit.

Minister Dan Perciun expressed concerns about current performance levels, stating, “There are results that should worry us: poor performance in mathematics and reading. This trend is also seen in other participating countries, highlighting the need for improved interventions in these areas.”

Furthermore, the minister noted that since the beginning of this year, 6.5 million lei have been allocated to equip school libraries with 60,000 new books. The investment into promoting reading and improving students’ access to quality books will continue.

Perciun also pointed out significant performance disparities between students in large and small schools. He stated, “I would like to emphasize the most important finding from the PISA results: students in large institutions score, on average, 60-65 points higher than those in smaller schools. These results clearly indicate the need to invest in model schools—larger institutions with specialists and good infrastructure—and to encourage parents to consider larger schools for their children. This is particularly important as the state offers 1,000 lei per month to families who transfer their children from a school with fewer than 50 students to a larger one.”

 PISA 2025 results also reveal some improvements. Students in the Republic of Moldova achieved a five-point increase in science performance compared to the previous assessment. Additionally, in digital skills, the country is excelling relative to other countries in the region and has closed the gap with the OECD average.