The Ungheni district now has a second school in the „model-schools network” — the programme through which the Ministry of Education concentrates investment in a few strong institutions. Alongside the „Mihai Eminescu” High School, already announced in the European Investment Bank’s modernisation programme, the „Ion Creangă” Theoretical High School in the Dănuțeni neighbourhood of Ungheni is also being renovated.
Who pays, and for what
The school building is being refurbished with money from the Norwegian Government, provided through UNDP Moldova (the United Nations Development Programme). This is the „Transforming education in Moldova through Model Schools” project, funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), with a total budget of almost 19 million dollars for 2024–2028. Nationally, five model schools are being fully renovated with Norwegian money — in Cantemir, Cimișlia, Telenești, Ungheni and the village of Mereni (Anenii Noi).
At „Ion Creangă”, the Norwegian money covers the building’s refurbishment, while the new furniture and IT equipment come from another source — the World Bank. It is therefore mixed financing, with each partner covering part of the modernisation.
Works in full swing, not finished
One detail that matters: at „Ion Creangă” the works are not finished. The renovation began in 2025, and at the education minister’s last official visit to Ungheni, roof-repair works were under way. The UNDP statement of 1 July 2026 also confirms that, of the 15 schools in the programme, works were completed in nine and still under way in five — including the one in Ungheni. The Ungheni Education Directorate’s announcement, which speaks of „fully renovated” schools, in fact describes the scope of the works — a capital repair — not the fact that they are finished.
Two things remain unknown to the public for now: how much the Ungheni renovation actually costs — the 19-million-dollar budget is national and covers five schools plus reform components, not an allocation for „Ion Creangă” — and how many pupils the school has. The figure of „over 3,200 pupils” cited in the statements is the total across the five schools renovated with Norwegian money, not the number at Ungheni.
Three schools, three sources of money
Put together, the picture of the Ungheni district shows three schools on three different funding streams. „Ion Creangă” — Norwegian money through UNDP, plus the World Bank for equipment. „Mihai Eminescu” — a European Investment Bank programme for school infrastructure, where it is the only institution from the Ungheni district on the list. And the „Vasile Alecsandri” High School — funds from the state budget for infrastructure, as a possible future candidate for model-school status.
This is the good news: money is flowing into Ungheni’s schools from several directions at once. The model-schools network numbers 90 institutions across the country, and concentrating resources in a few strong schools is the very core of the school-network reform.
Money for buildings, a shortage at the blackboard
The investment in walls comes, however, on top of a problem that money for buildings does not solve. The Ungheni district enters the 2026–2027 school year with 73 vacant teaching posts — one of the largest teacher shortages in the country, according to the distribution of teaching posts for the 2026–2027 school year. Behind the figure lies an underlying trend: the district has fewer and fewer pupils and fewer and fewer teachers, declining year on year.
The modernisation of three flagship schools, with laboratories, ergonomic furniture and screens, thus takes place alongside the question that remains open: who will stand at the blackboard, in the renovated classrooms, in front of the pupils.