BUDGET PLUS // Largest schools in capital to receive up to 2.3 million lei for canteen equipment

The largest schools in the municipality of Chișinău will receive up to 2.3 million lei for equipping the school canteens, so that conditions can be created for the free feeding of students, including those in gymnasium classes, starting from 1 September 2025.

According to the Ministry of Education and Research, for the municipality of Chișinău, each institution was allocated a fixed initial amount of 200,000 lei, to which a variable component was added calculated based on the number of students in grades V-IX. Thus, the allocated amounts vary between 241,500 lei for institutions with a small number of students and 2,304,100 lei for the largest institutions, which will additionally feed over 1,000 students.

The resources are part of the Budget Plus project, which provides for the allocation of 200 million lei for the modernization and equipping of school canteens in order to ensure free nutrition for all gymnasium students, starting from 1 September 2025.

The Ministry of Education and Research conducted public consultations regarding the acquisition of equipment for equipping school canteens in the municipality of Chișinău. Economic agents that produce, distribute, or sell professional kitchen and canteen equipment participated in the discussions.


“This consultation is part of a broader effort by the Ministry to ensure modern, safe, and efficient conditions for student nutrition through sustainable investments in school infrastructure. We want a transparent process and assurance of the quality of the equipment and machinery with which the school canteens in the municipality of Chișinău will be equipped,” said Valentina Olaru, Secretary of State of the MEC.


Participants analyzed the draft terms of reference for the planned public procurements in the upcoming period, identifying the best solutions for defining minimum technical specifications. Also, installation, service, warranty, and maintenance requirements for the equipment and machinery were established. Furthermore, the necessity of establishing a realistic and phased delivery schedule, based on product availability on the market and the logistical capacity of suppliers, was emphasized.

200 million lei for the modernization of canteens, provided in the Budget Plus project will be used for the repair of canteens in over 1000 schools across the country. Half of this money will be distributed to the schools in the capital, and the other half will reach the schools in the districts.

Budget Plus is the largest financial package ever allocated by the Government of the Republic of Moldova for investment and economic growth. It includes financial resources totaling 8 billion lei. The resource allocations were made possible with support from the European Union.