Types of institutions

The general lower secondary (gimnazial) education in Moldova is organised in gymnasiums. 

Gymnasiums can either be independent educational institutions or part of larger complexes that combine various levels of education, such as (a) primary school + gymnasium + lyceum or (b) gymnasium + lyceum.

The educational process is carried out in classes or groups, according to the norms established by the local specialised body in the field of education, based on state educational standards and state sanitary-epidemiological norms.

Education for children and pupils with special educational needs is organised in general education institutions, including special education institutions, or through home education.

Geographical accessibility

The gymnasiums are distributed proportionally to the population throughout the country (752 gymnasiums, in the school year 2024/2025). However, more gymnasiums are concentrated in big cities. 

Pupils from rural localities, who reside more than 2 km from the educational institution benefit from free transport, provided by the local public administration authority of the second-level and UTA Gagauzia. 

The transportation of pupils and teaching staff from and to the educational institution is organised in accordance with the provisions of the Regulation on the transportation of pupils.

Admission requirements and choice of school

The admission for general, lower secondary education according to the  Education Code is mandatory, without competitive tests, for pupils from the corresponding school district, following a written request from the parent/legal guardian, according to the provisions of the regulatory framework established by the Ministry of Education. Admission to the gymnasium in arts and sports classes takes place based on aptitude tests specific to the profile.

According to the Standard regulation for the organisation and functioning of primary and secondary education institutions, cycle I and II, admission to the 5th grade is permitted based on tests approved by the local specialised education authority of the second level local public administration in the following situations:

• for the formation of arts and sports profile classes, based on tests of skills specific to the profile;

• for the formation of bilingual classes, based on tests of specific skills for foreign languages;

• for educational institutions that have in their structure gymnasium classes, but not primary classes, and the number of candidates applying for admission in the 5th grade exceeds the number of places.

Organisation of education for children and pupils with special educational needs 

General lower secondary education for pupils with special educational needs is free, organised in general education institutions, including special education institutions, or through home education. The state ensures the integration of children and pupils with special educational needs into the education system by their enrolment in the respective group or class in the general education institutions or special education institution.

Age levels and grouping of pupils

In Moldova, the age range for general lower secondary education is 11–15 years, covering grades 5–9 and lasting five school years.

The educational process is carried out in classes or groups, according to the norms established by the local specialised body in the field of education, based on state educational standards and state sanitary-epidemiological norms.

General lower secondary education is structured by disciplines and different teachers teach separate profile disciplines (e.g. biology, physics, etc.). At the beginning of every school year, several teachers, according to the number of disciplines, are assigned to each gymnasium class. During the five years of general lower secondary education, specialised teachers may change for a given class.

According to the Framework plan for primary, lower and upper secondary education, classes can be divided into two groups, if there are 25 or more pupils in the class, for the following subjects:

• Foreign language; 

• Romanian language and literature, in schools with instruction in other language than Romanian; 

• Informatics; 

• Technological Education.

The regulations regarding the number of classes per year of study in public education institutions are established by the local specialised education authority.

The number of classes per year of study and the number of pupils in each class in public educational institutions are proposed yearly by the management of the institution, based on the project capacity of the institution and the forecast of the number of pupils, then endorsed by the administration board and approved by the local specialized education authority.

Organisation of the school year

The school year for general lower secondary education is organised into two semesters, starting on September 1, and ending on August 31 of the following calendar year. It includes the period of studies, examination, and re-examination sessions, working with papers and issuance of study documents (diplomas, certificates).

The structure of the school year (semester duration, number and duration of vacations, examination session period) is established annually by the Ministry of Education.

The duration of the study year in secondary education is 35 weeks. For the 9^th grade, the duration of the academic year is 34 weeks, the academic situation being completed on May 25 every year. To prepare 9^th-grade pupils for the gymnasium graduation exam, preparation activities are organised in the last week of the academic year, starting on May 26. There are totally five holidays during the year:

• autumn holidays, (duration - 5 days);

• winter holidays, (duration – 16-17 days);

• spring holidays, (duration - 5 days);

• Easter holidays, (duration - 10 days);

• summer holidays, (duration - 92 days).

There are no fixed days for beginning and end of pupils’ holidays, except summer holidays. The holiday period may vary depending on calendar and national holidays. 

The number of weekly hours is also set by the Ministry of Education via the annual Framework plan for primary, lower and upper secondary education.

Organisation of the school day and week

The lower secondary education is organised as full-time education. The study process is organised over five days, from Monday to Friday. 

The number of weekly hours is stipulated in the Framework Plan for primary, lower and upper secondary education.  

The weekly hours allocated for lower secondary education range from 26 to 30 hours, depending on grades. For bilingual classes, one additional hour is allocated for every grade.   

Distribution of weekly hours in lower secondary classes, hours/week:

The school hours within the institution typically occur in a single shift. However, if material and human resources do not permit, the administration board may decide to conduct classes in two shifts.

For the study of certain school subjects, such as foreign language, Romanian language and literature in schools with instruction in Russian, computer science, technological education, as well as optional subjects, and for special circumstances, classes may be divided into groups, if they consist of more than 25 pupils. The formation of these groups is approved by the administration board of the institution.

In lower secondary education, the duration of a lesson is 45 minutes. The classes usually begin at 8:30 AM. The administration board, upon recommendation from the teaching staff, may approve a different start time for classes, but the classes cannot start before 8:00 AM. A break of 10-15 minutes is scheduled after each lesson, and after the third class, a longer break of 15-20 minutes is recommended. Usually, the end time for gymnasium classes is about 14:00, depending on the start time in the morning.

In special circumstances and for a specific period, the duration of lessons and breaks may be modified with prior approval from the local educational authority, based on a reasoned proposal from the institution's administration board.

Homework is assigned according to the curricular requirements for school subjects and is recorded in the school catalogue under the Homework/Learning Activities section, in accordance with the provisions of the Instruction on Managing Homework in Primary, Lower and Upper Secondary Education, The estimated daily time for completing homework should not exceed 1.5 hours for grades V-VI and two hours for grades VII-IX. The weekly volume should not exceed 7.5 hours for grades V-VI and 10 hours for grades VII-IX.

Extracurricular activities (clubs, cultural and artistic activities, sports, ecological initiatives, community service, volunteering, etc.) take place outside of regular class hours.

In developing and approving the schedule, the institution's director is responsible for ensuring compliance with the provisions of the Framework Plan, hygienic and pedagogical requirements, and the regulation of study time.