A special education institution is an institution, with or without residential services, that provides remedial and rehabilitation support to pupils with sensory impairments (hearing or visual) and to pupils with severe learning difficulties (multiple and associated difficulties).

According to the Education Code of the Republic of Moldova, special education institutions are classified as follows:

• special education institutions for children and pupils with sensory impairments (hearing or visual);

• auxiliary schools for children and pupils with severe learning difficulties (multiple and associated difficulties).

Special education is provided in special education institutions with or without residential services, as well as in alternative educational institutions that provide rehabilitation assistance to children and pupils with sensory impairments and other disabilities, including those integrated into mainstream education. These institutions also provide methodological counselling to teaching staff working in groups or classes attended by such children/pupils, in accordance with the regulations established by the Ministry of Education and Research.

Early childhood education may also be organised in residential institutions for orphaned children or those deprived of parental care, in sanatorium-type institutions for children with chronic illnesses, as well as in special education institutions, penitentiary institutions and medical institutions.

Primary education may also be organised in residential institutions for orphaned children or those deprived of parental care, in sanatorium-type institutions for children with chronic illnesses, as well as in special education institutions, penitentiary institutions and medical institutions.

Lower secondary education (gymnasium) may also be organised in residential institutions for orphaned children or those deprived of parental care, in sanatorium-type institutions for children with chronic illnesses, as well as in special education institutions, penitentiary institutions and medical institutions.

Upper secondary education is organised in lyceums as full-time education (grades 10–12) or part-time education (grades 10–13). For persons with learning difficulties caused by disabilities, upper secondary education may also be organised through distance learning or home-based education. For pupils in penitentiary institutions, upper secondary education may also be organised through distance learning.

Vocational education and training may also be organised in residential institutions for orphaned children or those deprived of parental care, in special education institutions, in penitentiary institutions and in medical institutions that are provisionally authorised or accredited.

Home-based education is organised for a limited period for children and pupils who, due to health problems or disability, are temporarily unable to attend school. It is organised in accordance with the procedures established by the Ministry of Education and Research, in coordination with the Ministry of Health.

Definition of the target group(s)

According to the Model Regulation on Special Education Institutions, the beneficiaries of special education institutions are pupils with special educational needs (SEN), including pupils with hearing impairments, visual impairments and severe learning difficulties (multiple or associated), aged between 7 and 18 years.

Admission requirements and choice of school

According to the Model Regulation on Special Education Institutions, the planned placement of a pupil with hearing impairment, visual impairment, or severe learning difficulties (multiple or associated) is carried out based on the decision of the territorial guardianship authority, with the opinion of the local guardianship authority and only on the basis of a positive opinion issued by the Commission for the Protection of Children in Difficulty.

This placement is grounded on the following documents: the decision of the specialised commission of the Ministry of Health in the relevant field, based on medical indications for placement in a special education institution, in accordance with Annexes 1, 2 and 3 to this Regulation; the disability certificate; and the evaluation report issued by the Psycho-pedagogical Assistance Service.

At the time of admission for placement, the following documents are required: the application submitted by the parents/legal representative of the pupil; the placement form issued by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research or the local specialised body in the field of education, accompanied by the opinion of the Ministry of Health.

The pupil’s file includes the following documents:

• the pupil’s photograph;

• the pupil’s identity document (birth certificate);

• the opinion of the Commission for the Protection of Children in Difficulty;

• the decision of the territorial guardianship authority regarding the planned placement of the child;

• the opinion of the local guardianship authority regarding the planned placement of the child;

• the evaluation report issued by the district/municipal Psycho-pedagogical Assistance Service;

• a certificate indicating the composition of the child’s family;

• the child’s development record, vaccination certificate and epidemiological certificate issued by the territorial Public Health Centre (at the time of placement), which are kept in the pupil’s file throughout the period of enrolment in the institution;

• documents confirming the pupil’s level of education/academic record;

• the initial comprehensive evaluation;

• the social inquiry report;

• copies of the identity documents of the parents/legal representatives of the child;

• the certificate confirming the degree of disability;

• the placement form issued by the Ministry of Education and Research or the local specialised body in the field of education regarding the pupil’s placement, accompanied by the opinion of the Ministry of Health.

List of medical indications and contraindications for placement in a special education institution

Pupils with visual impairments

I. Indications

• Visual acuity between 0 and 0.08 with correction in the better eye.

• Visual field constriction below 10 degrees in the less affected eye.

• Visual acuity between 0.09 and 0.2 with correction in the better eye.

• Visual field constriction below 20 degrees in the less affected eye.

• Visual acuity of “zero” or light perception in one eye with visual acuity up to 0.5 with correction in the better eye in the following cases:

• severe recurrent chronic conditions with unfavourable evolution, such as uveitis, herpetic keratitis, retinal dystrophies, etc.;

• consequences of penetrating ocular trauma and ocular contusions of grade II–IV, including progressive proliferative vitreoretinopathy, post-traumatic cataract, vitreous and retinal detachment, etc.

• Concentric constriction of the visual field below 30 degrees in both eyes, regardless of visual acuity.

• Paralytic strabismus with diplopia, heterophoria, high-degree astigmatism and severe asthenopia during reading and writing.

II. Contraindications

• Decompensated psychopathiform syndrome.

• Children with polymorphic disorders such as deaf-mute blindness.

Pupils with hearing impairments

Indications

• Children with bilateral deafness (severe or profound).

• Children with deafness associated with other conditions (visual impairment, central nervous system disorders, motor disorders).

Contraindications

• Children with normal hearing and only speech defects or speech delay.

• Children with mild or moderate deafness.

• Children with unilateral deafness.

• Children with intellectual disabilities.

Pupils with severe learning difficulties (multiple or associated)

I. Indications

• Mild intellectual disability associated with:
  a) neuritiform syndrome;
  b) hyperdynamic syndrome;
  c) compensated psychopathiform syndrome;
  d) speech underdevelopment (grade I–II).
• Moderate intellectual disability associated with:
  a) neuritiform syndrome;
  b) hyperdynamic syndrome;
  c) compensated psychopathiform syndrome;
  d) speech underdevelopment (grade I–II).
• Severe intellectual disability.
• Schizophrenia during remission.
• Dementia due to epilepsy, medically compensated.
• Pervasive developmental disorders:
  a) childhood autism;
  b) Rett syndrome.

II. Contraindications

• Schizophrenia with frequent acute episodes.
• Intellectual disability associated with psychopathiform syndrome with frequent decompensations.
• Epileptic syndrome with high-frequency seizures resistant to medication.

Age levels and grouping of pupils

Beneficiaries of the educational institution are students with special educational needs (SEN): students with hearing impairments, visual impairments, with severe learning difficulties (multiple, associated), aged between 7 and 18 years.

The completion of classes is carried out differentiated, based on the age criterion, type and degree of disability of students.

The number of students in the class/group with hearing or visual impairments is usually 8-12 students, and the number of students in the class/group with associated deficiencies is 5-12 students.

The determination of the class in which the student will be enrolled is carried out based on the personal file, study documents, and in their absence or in cases of conflict - according to the results of the assessment of the level of knowledge, carried out by the intra-school multidisciplinary commission and based on the evaluation report of the district/municipal Psycho-pedagogical Assistance Service.

Curriculum, subjects

The educational process for students with SEN is carried out in accordance with the general education curriculum, the Framework Plan for primary, lower secondary and upper secondary education for the 2025-2026 study year and the Individualized Educational Plan, developed based on the recommendations of the Psycho-pedagogical Assistance Service.

In grades V-XII in special institutions for students with sensory deficiencies, school subjects are taught by teachers with general training, who have attended specialisation courses in the field of special psycho-pedagogy.

In special education organised for children and students with special educational needs, teachers with qualified training in the field of special psycho-pedagogy and social assistance are employed.

In the Framework Plan for Primary, Lower Secondary and Upper Secondary Education, for the 2025-2026 study year, published on the website of the Ministry of Education, the following framework plans for students with SEN are presented:

• The framework plan for students with severe learning difficulties (multiple, associated difficulties/disabilities) in grades I-IX in auxiliary schools (with instruction in Romanian)

• The framework plan for students with hearing impairments in grades I-IX in special education institutions (with instruction in Romanian)

• The framework plan for students with visual impairments in grades I-IX in special education institutions (instruction in Romanian)

• The framework plan for students in grades V-IX in penitentiaries (with instruction in Romanian)

Within the limit of the total number of hours set, the institution is entitled to adapt a maximum of 10% of the present Curriculum, depending on the educational needs of the students.

Teaching methods and materials

Educational staff employ a range of adapted pedagogical approaches tailored to specific disabilities. These include individualised education plans (IEPs), differentiated instruction, and specialised teaching techniques such as Braille literacy for students with visual impairments, alternative communication systems, and language support for learners with hearing or speech difficulties. Methods are selected in accordance with diagnostic profiles and adapted curricular frameworks. ensuring content, pace, and delivery are responsive to individual needs. 

To operationalize these methods, schools and inclusive education resource centres are equipped with assistive technologies and specialised materials. Government and development partners’ programmes have distributed Braille typewriters and plates, video magnifiers, screen-reading software, augmentative communication applications, adapted keyboards and audio books to support diverse impairments. Digital tools and educational software assist with literacy and numeracy, while tactile and sensory materials support engagement and cognitive development. 

The Ministry of Education and Research (MER) and the Republican Centre for Psycho-Pedagogical Assistance (under MER) coordinate development of specialised materials, guidelines, and training of support staff. MER maintains practical guidance documents (e.g., inclusive education guides for deaf, autistic learners) and approves individualisation frameworks. 

Materials and technologies procured through state budgets and supported by international partners are generally provided to schools free of charge. Resource centres serve multiple institutions, and pupils benefit from specialised services and tools without direct cost, aligned with national inclusive education rights under the legal framework. 

Progression of pupils

In general education, the assessment and grading of students with special educational needs is carried out based on individualised educational plans. For students with SEN, the same assessment system/criteria are used, but applied based on the individualised educational plan (IEP), according to the Regulation on the assessment and grading of learning outcomes, promotion and graduation of primary and secondary education.

In the case of special schools, according to the Model Regulation of the special education institution, the placement of the student in the educational institution is temporary and includes:

• development and approval of the individualised educational plan and the individual placement plan;

• current and specialised medical assistance, recovery, care and permanent supervision of students in placement;

• monitoring and analysis of the students' situation.

The determination of the class in which the student will be enrolled is carried out based on the personal file, educational documents, and in their absence in cases of conflict - according to the results of the assessment of the level of knowledge, carried out by the multidisciplinary intra-school commission and based on the evaluation report of the district/municipal Psycho-pedagogical Assistance Service.

The situation of the student in placement is reassessed once a month, or more frequently depending on the student's health status, by the multidisciplinary intra-school commission, which is responsible of the periodic evaluation and reassessment of students within the special education institution, as well as by the Psycho-pedagogical Assistance Service.  This assessment is carried out to rationally evaluate the pupil’s developmental progress and learning potential, taking into account educational, remedial, psychological, medical and social aspects, for the purpose of monitoring students within the special education institution.

The student's placement within the educational institution is for the duration of the academic year. The decision to extend this term is made by the territorial guardianship authority that ordered the planned placement of the child (at the proposal of the district/municipal Psycho-pedagogical Assistance Service), which is officially informed by the institution's management, 60 days before the expiration of the placement term.

Certification

In the Republic of Moldova, pupils with special educational needs (SEN) may receive certification upon completion of a level of education. Certification follows the general framework of the national education system and is regulated by the Education Code of the Republic of Moldova, and by regulations issued by the Ministry of Education and Research (see chapters 4.3, 5.3, and 5.6) 

The authority responsible for the organisation of certification in pre-university education is the Ministry of Education and Research. The Ministry establishes the format of study documents, the procedures for assessment and the conditions for issuing certificates and diplomas. Evaluation and certification processes may involve institutions and structures at national, local and institutional level.

Educational institutions (general education schools, special schools or auxiliary schools) organise the assessment of pupils and issue study documents in accordance with the regulations approved by the Ministry.

Education for pupils with special educational needs is organised according to the National Curriculum, the framework education plans and individualised educational plans (IEPs) adapted to the pupil’s developmental needs. Consequently, certification reflects the learning outcomes achieved within these curricula. The content of assessment generally corresponds to the subjects included in the national curriculum or in an adapted/modified curriculum designed for pupils with SEN. 

Assessment results may be expressed through numerical grades or qualitative descriptors, depending on the educational level and the type of curriculum followed. For pupils studying under modified curricula, the evaluation criteria are adapted to the individual learning objectives set out in the IEP.

Assessment methods for pupils with SEN may be adapted to their individual needs. The evaluation process may include: continuous assessment of the pupil’s work during the school year; written or oral examinations; practical tasks or project-based assessment; examinations with adapted formats (e.g. extended time, simplified tasks, use of assistive technologies or alternative communication systems). Such adaptations are intended to ensure that pupils can demonstrate their competences under conditions appropriate to their abilities and learning profile.

Pupils with special educational needs who complete a level of education receive official study documents similar to those issued in the general education system, provided they have completed the corresponding programme and assessment requirements. 

Educational certificates and diplomas issued by accredited institutions are recognised by the State and may allow the continuation of studies in further education or participation in vocational training programmes, depending on the level achieved and the type of curriculum followed. 

In cases where pupils follow highly individualised or modified educational programmes that do not correspond fully to the standard curriculum, institutions may issue certificates confirming the completion of the programme and the competences acquired.