The Agro-Industrial College in Ungheni completed, in June, a cross-border online education project dedicated to the French language. For a vocational school in a border town, this is an openness that deserves a closer look — especially because it comes exactly at the moment when French is losing ground in the Moldovan school.
What the project involved
Titled “Educație online fără hotare – Voyage culturel en France”, the project ran from March to June 2026 and was coordinated by Corina Sîrbu, a French language teacher, together with students in grades 10 to 12. According to the college, the activity brought together students and teachers from four institutions: the Agro-Industrial College in Ungheni, the “Neagoe Vodă Basarab” Orthodox Christian Seminary in Curtea de Argeș, the “Panait Istrati” Technological High School in Brăila and the “Alecu Russo” Theoretical High School in Orhei. The common theme was Francophonie, and through the online exchanges the participants practised linguistic, digital and intercultural skills.
The account belongs to the college and does not specify how many students from Ungheni were involved, what final product resulted from the project or whether it benefited from any specific funding. These are details that a full review would be expected to provide.
What the Agro-Industrial College is
The Agro-Industrial College in Ungheni is a public post-secondary technical vocational education institution, based on Decebal Street. It trains technicians in fields related to agriculture and the food industry — from agricultural mechanics and food product technology to merchandising and accounting — and has, according to data published by the institution, around 350 students. In recent years, the college has also attracted external investment: through the “Livada Moldovei” programme, financed by the European Investment Bank, a hydroponic greenhouse and modern laboratories were set up here. An online cultural project with three schools outside the district fits the same logic of breaking out of isolation.
French, against the current
The stakes are also symbolic. The Republic of Moldova is a member of the International Organisation of La Francophonie — an associate member since 1995 and a full member since 1997 — yet, in school, French has visibly retreated. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, in the 2025–2026 school year French was studied by about one third of the country’s students (32.8%), far behind English (87.9%). Some fifteen years ago the ratio was the opposite, and French was the most studied foreign language in Moldova.
Against this backdrop, a living Francophone project in a vocational school in the gateway town to Romania is not “just another activity”, but a signal that goes against the current. Ungheni, set on the Prut, on the western border, naturally connects students with high schools in Curtea de Argeș and Brăila — exactly the cross-border axis that defines the town.
The numbers behind it
In Ungheni district there are three post-secondary technical vocational education institutions, with around 1,070 students in 2025–2026, according to official statistics — a sector in slight decline compared to its peak a few years ago. For this kind of education, often seen as a second option after high school, projects that connect students with schools abroad and add linguistic and digital skills are exactly the kind of argument that can make it more attractive. How far this openness will go, beyond a project lasting a few months, remains to be seen.