Alexandru Corinenko, a teacher at the “Antioh Cantemir” Lyceum, gave an interview about the motives of teachers who took to the streets, the state of the education system, and whether the government still has any credibility left.
Teachers in Moldova are no longer willing to tolerate the situation. Another protest rally in front of the government building gathered educators from across the country yesterday. As Alexandru Corinenko noted in a conversation with journalists, the main reason is not some inflated demands, but the government’s outright failure to keep its own promises.
“Today there is a huge shortage of teachers, because young people are not joining the profession: they see teachers’ salaries and realize that with that money, you can neither support a family nor pay utility bills — nothing,” Corinenko stated.
The situation in the education system has reached a critical point, he believes, and the blame lies with the government. According to him, the authorities have done nothing but make promises for years, yet have never mustered the courage to raise salaries.
Corinenko emphasized that the current protest is not an attempt to gain privileges, but a demand for justice.
“We are not demanding any privileges; we are simply demanding that the government fulfill its promises. Namely, the government promised us that teachers’ salaries would be increased starting September 1. They have not kept their promises,” the teacher reminded.
Teachers decisively reject the compensation scheme proposed by the authorities. Corinenko explained that this is not a solution to the problem, but merely a temporary measure that does not change the essence — namely, excessively low salaries.
“We were offered compensation of around three to four thousand lei, but this is not a salary supplement. The compensation ends, but the teacher’s salary remains,” he noted, adding that young specialists see this and simply refuse to enter the profession, choosing to find work in other fields or leave the country altogether.
He also drew attention to the fact that the government’s actions are demoralizing the teaching community. He recalled that 2026 became the first year in which no salary indexation for teachers was carried out.
“We believed that they would be indexed on September 1, but we were deceived or misled. Today we are simply demanding our legal rights and the fulfillment of promises,” Corinenko summarized.
Participants in the protest, who spoke with reporters, echoed these words. Educators complained about the income gap between officials and schoolteachers, holding placards with slogans such as “Don’t postpone our rights!” and “Don’t put education on pause!” As one teacher put it, “We came out to get what was promised to us.” But the government’s credibility has already been exhausted. This became evident when Education Minister Dan Perciun, who did come out to address the crowd, was met with boos.
The government has acknowledged that the teachers’ demands are justified, but no concrete solution has yet been presented. Against this backdrop, Corinenko’s statement sounds like a verdict: in his view, trust in the authorities has been exhausted, and the country faces a further decline in education unless the situation is turned around immediately.
