Friday 8 August 2008

Corruption in the Moldovan education system

In an article in the Moldovan weekly Timpul ('The Time'), Oxana Greadcenco reports about corruption in the Moldovan education system (the text is also published in her blog).

Buying a good mark for the final school exam is simple and persecution of corruption is ineffective. And if the admission to the universities is based on marks, those who did not want (or could not) bribe the responsible persons in school and instead worked hard to get their marks, struggle to get into the higher education system because they have to pay study fees or do not even get a place.

Let me translate the final paragraph of Oxana's article titled "Priority for those with money, not for those with talent" („Prioritate au cei cu bani, nu cei cu merite”), because this is the most personal account of the text and a reminder, that corruption is penalising those who do not participate:
"I realised that all my endeavour and the dream to receive a financed place in journalism studies crumbled because those with money are prioritised, not those with talent. It is not said, the chance still exists (I have an average of 9 [out of 10]), but the 15 places offered in that specialisation are not much for more than 200 applicants with good or very good marks, honestly achieved or not. Thinking of all this and considering the tragic, and even the [sad] humour of the situation, I cannot but regret living in a society stuck in lies, corruption, and injustice."
What can be said if the most engaged young people are stopped at the invisible glass ceiling of corruption and mismanagement? - Not much.

We have to fight this evil, wherever we come across it, and we have stay hard on the subject, as hard as we can and on all levels of society.

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Update:

Luckily for Oxana, she has finally received her permission, but in her blog she reminds that what she has written is still the truth.

2 comments:

Oxana Greadcenco said...

Je suis tres heureuse qui un jeune allemand a mediatise mon article.

Din pacate, nu vorbesc engleza, insa cred ca esti cunoscator de limba romana, daca ai inteles esenta articolului meu si-ai binevenit sa-l si comentezi. Coruptia in Moldova e un fenomen negativ si influenteaza negativ imaginea Moldvei in Europa, dar astea sunt realitatile. Oxana.

Anonymous said...

Congrats to Oxana! Unfortunately corruption in the system of education is a ubiquitous problem in former communist states. The worst part is that b/c it is perceived as relatively "harmless", less resources are devoted to eradicating it.