Dan Perciun diplomas face public scrutiny
A social media campaign is gaining momentum in Moldova, calling on Education and Research Minister Dan Perciun to publish his academic diplomas. The discussion was prompted by users questioning whether the minister holds a Moldovan bachelor’s degree and whether his qualifications are appropriate for the post.
“As far as I understand, he attended senior school in the United Kingdom, but was unable to pass or complete a bachelor’s degree. He later returned home and somehow managed to validate some form of study through Eminova University,” one social media post claimed.
The allegations were reposted by blogger Aliona Cuiban, who added a demand for greater public transparency. She argued that asking senior public officials to disclose their diplomas was not unusual and could help strengthen public confidence.
“Transparency should be the same for everyone holding public office, regardless of their political affiliation,” she said.
Users also questioned whether the head of the education system should have direct professional experience in teaching.
One anonymous commenter wrote: “The education minister should at least have a teaching qualification in order to understand the work of a teacher and the stress involved in educating children. It is not enough simply to ‘have certain competences’.”
Another user, Radu Musteață, said Perciun had graduated from a “British school for boys” and was now in charge of education. “He studied impressively, including at Cambridge, but could not manage it,” the commenter added.
Official biography lists Cambridge degree
According to official information published by the Ministry of Education and Research, Dan Perciun received a bachelor’s degree in political science, psychology and sociology from the University of Cambridge in 2014. He later completed a master’s degree in social economics at Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, in 2022.
Perciun has served as Minister of Education and Research since July 2023. Before entering the government, he was an MP for the Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) and chaired parliament’s committee on social protection, health and family.
He began his career in public administration in 2014 after returning from studies in the United Kingdom, taking charge of the electronic transformation department at the Ministry of Education. The official biography therefore contradicts claims that he failed to complete a bachelor’s degree, although campaigners continue to demand that the underlying documents be made public.
The dispute carries an additional element of irony because Perciun has previously raised concerns about dishonesty in education himself. In March 2025, he told parliament that the Agrarian University had been “the largest law diploma factory in the Republic of Moldova”, where, he alleged, half of the students existed only on paper.
He also initiated checks of graduation theses for plagiarism using specialised software. Critics now argue that the same standards of transparency and verification should apply to the minister’s own academic record.
The campaign over the Dan Perciun diplomas has therefore become a broader argument about accountability in public office. While the ministry’s official biography lists two recognised foreign degrees, social media users say public disclosure would remove doubts and demonstrate that senior officials are subject to the same scrutiny they demand from others.
