Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration, Cristina Lesnic, requested for OSCE’s involvement in ensuring movement of students and teachers at the beginning of the new school year

The Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration, Cristina Lesnic, had a meeting today with the Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to the Republic of Moldova, Antti Karttunen. They discussed the preparations for the new school year. Cristina Lesnic informed about Chisinau’s efforts to ensure free movement of students and teachers from the 8 schools teaching in Romanian from the Transnistrian region, and of teachers and students from the left bank of Nistru, who attend the educational institutions on the right bank.

The Chief Negotiator on the Transnistrian issue requested for OSCE’s involvement in ensuring free movement of students, pedagogues and technical staff of schools, as well as of the parents and guardians of minors traveling across the administrative line to attend school.

The meeting of the officials is a follow-up after the 1+1 meeting and after the Working Group on Education, that took place on 30 July and 6 August, respectively.

Therewith, provision of schools with food, hygienic and epidemiological protection products, such as masks, gloves, disinfectants, etc., was addressed. The access of ambulances to the left bank of Nistru, in case of the necessity to hospitalize seriously sick people, was also tackled. The teachers, administrative staff and students are provided with state health insurances and are medically assigned on the right bank of the Nistru river, which implies the need to travel without restrictions.

"Commuting by private transport or by buses provided by the educational institution is up to the parents, but we have the moral obligation to ensure that they will be able to cross the administrative line and will have comfortable study conditions. In this regard, we request for the OSCE to continue mediating free movement of these categories of persons without impediments”, said the Deputy Prime Minister, Cristina Lesnic. 

The official specified that teachers of the educational institution have chosen their study model and are preparing for the study year through the trainings, coordination and multiple activities carried out together with the respective ministry and epidemiological institutions.

The Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to the Republic of Moldova, Antti Karttunen, stated that the institution fully supports freedom of movement for school employees. 

In a context dominated by unfavorable trends, there is a need for rapid, coordinated and effective intervention by the authorities to support the population, as well as responsible and solidary behavior of all stakeholders. Cristina Lesnic highlighted that until the beginning of the school year, coordination and permanent communication with the OSCE Mission will be needed.