Tenth grade in the village of Plot', Rybnitsa district. It's one of the smallest classes in Transnistria this academic year. (c) Victoria Pashentseva. All rights reserved.Transnistria is a self-proclaimed state on a sliver of land between Ukraine and the river Dniester. The territory’s independence is not recognised by any UN member state, who all consider it part of Moldova. Over the last few years, Transnistria’s education system has undergone radical reform with a focus on so-called “optimisation” — in other words, financial efficiency. The territory’s public purse is chronically empty, and this year’s budget has a 51.8% deficit. And unlike prices in the shops, Transnistrians’ incomes are hardly growing.
Transnistria has to import the majority of its goods, and its own industry is losing momentum — political isolation has taken its toll, and after a financial-economic crisis over many years, cash is in short supply. Not only pensions and benefits are affected, but other public institutions, including education.
The need for financial prudence is only one reason for an academic efficiency drive in the PMR: there’s also a shortage of schools and teachers. Every year the number of university graduates willing to work in the territory’s villages drops, whatever incentives they’re offered.
