Definition of the target group(s)

Support focuses on learners facing educational disadvantage due to personal, socio-economic, cultural or health-related circumstances. Specific groups include:

• Children with disabilities and special educational needs (physical, sensory, intellectual and developmental), who are entitled to tailored educational support and adapted curricula. 

• Children at risk of early school leaving, including those affected by poverty, social exclusion, unexcused absenteeism or irregular attendance. Such risk categories are defined operationally in supporting regulations, such as Instruction on Preventing and Combating School Dropout and Absenteeism, which outlines criteria for “situations of risk of school dropout”. 

• Ethnic minority children, notably Roma pupils, who often experience barriers to continuous schooling and are identified as vulnerable in national inclusive education discussions. 

• Children from socio-economically disadvantaged families, including those in rural areas or with limited access to services. While not enumerated explicitly in the Education Code, these criteria inform policy responses and support programming. 

Children from migrant, refugee or asylum-seeking backgrounds are increasingly considered for tailored support programmes, as indicated by planned legislative amendments to the Education Code to include linguistic integration programmes. 

Identification of learners requiring support combines legal definitions and individual assessment. The Education Code mandates compulsory schooling aged 6/7–16 and obliges educational authorities to ensure access and continuous participation, including monitoring of attendance and absenteeism; local authorities also cooperate to identify children at risk of dropout. 

For learners with special educational needs, multidisciplinary evaluations (psychological, medical, educational) determine the nature and extent of support services, including part- or full-time inclusive instruction, adapted learning environments and specialised interventions (e.g., support teams, assistive technologies). 

Specific support measures

In the Republic of Moldova, support measures for learners with special educational needs (SEN) and other disadvantaged groups are grounded in the Education Code of the Republic of Moldova, which mandates inclusive education and individualised approaches for children and pupils with SEN. The legal basis defines inclusive education as an integral part of the national system, ensuring access, equity, and individualised pathways for learners with diverse needs. 

Further strategic direction is provided by the Programme for the development of inclusive education in the Republic of Moldova for the years 2024 - 2027. This programme outlines actions to strengthen inclusive practices across education levels, including specific mechanisms for supporting vulnerable learners, enhancing specialist capacities, and removing barriers to participation. 

The specific support measures might include: 

Language Support: For children from ethnic minorities, newly arrived learners, and those returning from abroad, the Education Code of the Republic of Moldova, seek to establish language integration programmes, particularly for Romanian language learning, facilitating access to the mainstream curriculum. 

Learning and Development Support: Learners with SEN benefit from individual educational assessments by territorial psycho-pedagogical services, which inform individualised education plans (IEPs) and determine the form of inclusion (total, partial, occasional). These assessments guide adaptations and personalised support. 

Curriculum Adaptations: The Education Code of the Republic of Moldova, supports adaptations to the curriculum and teaching methods that respond to individual needs, including flexible pacing, differentiated instruction, and the use of technology and assistive tools, aligned with IEP outcomes. 

Additional and Specialist Staff: Schools may employ or access specialist teachers and support staff, such as psychologists, speech therapists, pedagogical specialists, and support teachers, both in early childhood settings and in general schools. Staffing norms authorise inclusive education specialists in kindergartens to support early identification and intervention.

Assessment and Progress Arrangements: Regulations govern ongoing evaluation and periodic re-evaluation of learners with SEN, ensuring progress monitoring and timely adaptation of support strategies based on comprehensive assessments under ministerial guidelines. 

Class Size and Student-Teacher Ratios: While there is no specific national rule mandating reduced class sizes for SEN learners, resource-focused programmes emphasise enhanced support through multi-disciplinary staff and resource units within schools to offset staffing challenges. 

Liaison with Families and Stakeholders: The inclusive education framework encourages active collaboration with parents and community stakeholders, including health and social services, to ensure holistic support for learners and shared decision-making throughout the educational process.  

Financial and Material Support: State funding models include compensatory financing for learners with SEN and complementary finance for school infrastructure improvements, transport, and school meals (e.g. the Provision of Meals for Children and Pupils in Public General Education and Secondary Vocational Education Institutions), aligned with broader social inclusion strategies. 

Infrastructure Adaptations: Through the 2024–2027 programme, adaptations to school buildings such as accessibility improvements and establishment of inclusive education units are prioritised to remove physical barriers for learners with disabilities.