Republic of Moldova, E/C.12/MDA/CO/2

16. The Committee is concerned about the absence of measures taken to mitigate the effects of migration of parents on children staying behind. The Committee concerned that the State party does not ensure adequate measures of social and psychological assistance for families, as well as an adequate education for children staying behind (art.10).
The Committee recommends that the State party implement concrete measures to mitigate the effects of migration on children, through social and psychological support, among others. It also recommends that the State party ensure that children left in the custody of caregivers receive adequate education.
28. The Committee is concerned that enrolment rates in primary and secondary education are decreasing. The Committee is also concerned about the quality of education, and that efforts are lacking to alleviate the negative impact of indirect and informal costs on the access to education, especially within inadequately funded primary schools in rural areas. It is also concerned that children with disabilities often do not attend mainstream schools or classes, even in cases in which the nature of the disability would not preclude regular education. The Committee is furthermore concerned that children without any disability are often placed in auxiliary schools, reportedly accounting for as much 40 percent of enrolment. Furthermore, the Committee is concerned that children accompanying their parents and placed in the Migrants Accommodation Centre in Chisinau do not have access to education. (art.13 and 14).
The Committee recommends that the State party take measures to counter the decreasing enrolment rates in primary and secondary education, and reiterates its previous recommendation urging the State party to reinforce its efforts to ensure that children are not prevented from attending school because of poverty in the family. Such efforts should also include the alleviation of the negative impact of indirect and informal costs on the access to education, especially within inadequately funded primary schools in rural areas. The Committee furthermore recommends that the State party take urgent measures to ensure the implementation of inclusive education of children with disabilities, such as: (a) obligatory training of all teachers (beyond special education teachers), (b) requiring individual education plans for all students; (c) availability of assistive devices and support in classrooms, and educational materials and curricula; (e) accessibility of physical school environments; (f) teaching of sign language; and (g) the allocation of sufficient financial resources. Finally, the Committee recommends that the State party ensure the access to education for children accompanying their parents and placed in the Migrants Accommodation Centre in Chisinau.

29. The Committee is concerned about the limited availability and accessibility of schooling for Roma children living in remote rural settlements, as well as reported anti-Romani discrimination in a number of schools. The Committee is furthermore concerned about the high illiteracy rate among the Roma, as well as the low number of Roma with a higher education degree (artt.13 and 14).
The Committee recommends that the State party ensure the availability and accessibility of schooling for Roma children, including through the provision of financial and material support especially targeted at Roma parents, improvement of the school infrastructure in rural areas, the prevention and combating of discrimination against Roma in schools, as well as the development of the school curriculum in the Roma language.