MINELRES: Moldova: Gagauzian University closed down

[MINELRES moderator]

Original sender: Marina Berbec <berbecm@yahoo.com>


Dear All,

Please see below some news from Moldova.

Best,
Mariana Berbec
COLPI/OSI-Budapest


GAGAUZIAN UNIVERSITY CLOSED DOWN
Comrat, August 28 (INFOTAG). Gagauzian University, founded by Leonid
Dobrov, has been closed down after the Moldovan License Chamber had
refused to issue a license to it, Mr. Dobrov announced at his meeting
with students and teachers Wednesday.

He assured that all the 86 students of the economics and law departments
would be given a possibility to continue education at Comrat State
University and Slavic University in Chisinau.

Leonid Dobrov reckons the State License Chamber decided to issue no
license to Gagauzian University for political reasons. "This refusal is
a manifestation of discrimination with regard to the Gagauzian language
and culture from behalf of the official Moldovan authorities", he said.

Chamber Chairperson Zinaida Chistruga has categorically denied any
political motivation of the refusal. She told INFOTAG the university
founders had, so far, failed to submit all documents necessary for
obtaining a license. For instance, the university administration has not
yet prepared a curriculum, and has not set up a teaching staff: the
university director, e.g., is working on a volunteer basis, and teachers
are working part-time, combining jobs with other educational
establishments or companies.

Gagauzian University was opened in 2001, functioning on sponsors' means
and tuition fees (3 thousand lei a year for a full-time course and 2
thousand lei for a correspondence course). The university has received a
license from the Gagauzian education department, but this document is
only valid on the territory of the autonomous region.

Mr. Dobrov, who seeks to make the university a nation-level institution,
has many times asked the Moldovan Ministry of Education to help obtain
an official license. After he had organized picketing of the Government
Building in Chisinau and gone on a hunger strike in the June of 2001,
the Ministry agreed too approve the university's charter and curriculum,
but only on condition that the word "national" would be eliminated from
the institution's name. Initially, the name was "Gagauzian National
University".