Moldovan Minister of Education has voiced his stance to de-politicize education. What might he mean?
By Andrei Munteanu In an year after creation and coming to power of the Alliance for European Integration (AEI) in the Republic of Moldova, the Minister of Education has made public his attempt to depoliticize education.
This seems to be already an “en vogue subject” for previous Moldovan policy makers, and this minister seems to have taken it over almost “unconsciously”. He does not seem to provide any answers to any of many other questions emerged afterwards, as follows:
(i) Is this the best way to approach educational issue in a society, which has been for decades violently dominated by extreme soviet ideology?
(ii) What other possible educational stuff is introduced in curricula, if an eventual educational gap emerges in this sector of the country?
(iii) Where should Moldovan youth, and population at large, learn to cultivate their political attitudinal skills, and political culture in general, if this is to take place beyond educational system?,
(iv) What if many of the teaching staff, still sympathizing with the Communists’ Party of the R.M., deliberately take de-politicization of education for education de-ideologization?
(v) Will eventual de-politicization speed up Moldovan society democratization?
This subject started to be approached already by previous political leaders, particularly by former communist president and communists assigned education ministers, who were feverously promoting this idea, particularly with regard to history education and their attitude towards official language in the country.
However, oddly enough, compared to previous ministers, this one has been assigned by the AEI based on political algorithm, reached by those 4 political parties of the alliance, after the last year early parliamentary elections. So, why should a “modern-tailored” minister approach education - as a crucial field for the Moldovan state building efforts, in such a simplistic and outdated manner?
Why not promote a policy of substituting the deeply rooted communist ideology from the education sector of Moldova with the one, mostly favoring the crucial need of Moldovan society’s democratization? Why not profile an educational system fostering a due culture of tolerance in political dialogue, rather than just – uproot political discourse in education? Will a couple of political studies’ faculties in the R.M. suffice for the need of Moldovan societal needs of political education? It is very doubtful.
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