It’s so cold in some schools in the northern town of Bălţi that the classes are shortened from 45 to 35 minutes. It’s but 13-14 degrees Celsius in some classrooms.    

The students drink hot tea and make body jerks, but have their winter clothes on in rooms.

The local authorities maintain the central heating had been switched off and cannot turn it on right now.

School masters say the shorter classes will be twitched to the normal length when the air temperature in classrooms gets to 18 degrees.

There are 25 schools and 45 nurseries in Balti.