Romanian teachers moving to Gagauzia and Taraclia will receive 200,000 lei each
Teachers who agree to relocate to Gagauzia or the Taraclia district to teach in the Romanian language will receive a one-time allowance of 200,000 lei. At its October 28 meeting, the Government approved a regulation setting out the conditions for granting this financial support.
To qualify for the funds, educators must take up a position at an educational institution in one of the two regions and remain there for at least five years.
The allowance will be disbursed in two equal installments of 100,000 lei each. The first payment will be made following the teacher’s hiring, no later than October 30 of the year in which they are employed. The second installment will be transferred after at least six months of actual service, provided that the recipient remains in their position and fulfills the commitments they have undertaken.
This measure aims to attract qualified educators to schools facing staff shortages and to give more children the opportunity to study in Romanian.
“A current constraint is the shortage of educators—whether native speakers or those with a sufficiently high level of proficiency in Romanian—who can teach the Romanian language in the region, or work as primary school teachers there, which would allow us to open more classes with instruction in Romanian,” stated the Minister of Education and Research, Dan Perciun.
This support is available to both early-career and experienced teachers. Candidates must hold a higher education degree relevant to the subject they intend to teach and demonstrate at least B2 proficiency in Romanian, as evidenced by a language competency certificate.
Another requirement is that teachers must voluntarily agree to relocate and commit to teaching at least 18 hours per week. The position in Gagauzia or Taraclia must be the individual's primary place of employment.
Interested teachers shall submit their applications to the Ministry of Education and Research, which will oversee the selection and placement of candidates based on available vacancies. If applications exceed available positions, selection will be based on a professional assessment.
This measure applies exclusively to educators who relocate following the entry into force of the resolution. Teachers already employed in schools within these two regions are not eligible to apply for this allowance. Furthermore, this support cannot be combined with the one-time allowance granted to young professionals under a separate government program.
Funds must be repaid if a teacher leaves prematurely
The regulations also outline scenarios in which beneficiaries must repay the financial support they received. If a teacher resigns before the five-year term expires, requests contract termination by mutual agreement, or is dismissed for reasons attributable to them, they must repay a portion of the allowance, calculated in proportion to the remaining time.
There are, however, exceptions. Repayment is not required in the event of an educational institution’s closure, permanent incapacity for work, force majeure circumstances, or if the teacher is transferred—with the Ministry’s approval—to another school within Gagauzia or the Taraclia District.
This allowance responds to a shortage of teaching staff. According to the explanatory memorandum, educational institutions in Gagauzia and the Taraclia district face a deficit of 15 teachers, including for the subject of Romanian language and literature.
Data from the Ministry of Education indicates that the average grade for the Romanian language and literature component of the lower-secondary school graduation exam fell from 6.95 in 2023 to 5.70 in 2025. During the same period, the pass rate dropped from 100% to 68.2%.
In the 2026 national pre-testing, the average grade was even lower, at 4.87. These results demonstrate that mastering the Romanian language remains a challenge for many students in these two regions, while the lack of qualified teachers hinders any improvement in the situation.
Beyond academic outcomes, the Minister of Education and Research believes a stronger command of the Romanian language across the country also holds strategic importance.
"The incentive amounts to 200,000 lei, granted on the condition of relocating to these regions for a period of five years. It should help us contribute—among other things—to strengthening national security through the Romanian language, because in the Republic of Moldova, the command of Romanian by all citizens is a matter of national security," stated Dan Perciun.
To fill the 15 identified vacancies, the Government anticipates spending about three million lei. The funds will come from the Ministry of Education and Research budget, depending on how many teachers agree to relocate to the two regions.
The decision will enter into force upon its publication in the Official Gazette.
