Country Profile

Education in
Romania
Context
Romania, a member of the EU since 2007, has made
much progress toward achieving universal primary
school completion and has taken huge strides to-
ward achieving the EFA goals. ‘However, while the
gross completion rate for students in grades 1-8
has increased steadily over the last decade there is
a significant and increasing rural-urban disparity.
Learning achievements in mathematics, science
and literacy are somewhat lower among Romanian
students than that of their peers from Central and
Eastern European countries. These issues present
Romania with its current educational challenges.’ 1

Reversing the trend of the 1960s and 70s – at which
time Romania’s child population was one of the larg-
est in Europe - ‘Romania is now experiencing a dra-
matic decrease in its child population - from about
6.6 million children below 18 years of age in 1990 to
about 4.4 million in 2005. According to forecasts this
figure may reach 3.7 million by 2015. The infant and
under five mortality rates are still far above those
found in the European Union and all other Central
and Eastern European countries.’2
Romania’s transition economy is supporting the de-
mographic trend and increasing economic growth.
Romania has a GNP (PPP) per capita of $8,980 USD,
with an annual growth rate of 7.7%, which is more
than three times that in 2000. However, this GNP
is the lowest in South-eastern Europe after Alba-
nia among countries for which there is data avail-
able. 3 UNDP ranks Romania 60 th out of 177 countries
on the Human Development Index with a value of
(0.813). Despite the fast growing economy, poverty
is endemic for many Romanian families, with about
55% of the population living on less than $4.00 a
day and 22% of the country living below the na-
tional poverty line.4 Youth unemployment is a ma-
jor problem in the country with about 21% of young
people being unemployed compared to about 8% of
the general population. The lack of job opportuni-
ties is causing income inequality to rise for the next
generation. Romania’s gini coefficient is .31, which
is the highest in South-eastern Europe.
Education Reform
Romania has made enormous strides toward im-
proving education for all its children. Some impor-
tant education reforms are as follows:
• In 2008 all political parties represented in the
Parliament signed a National Pact on Educa-
tion, in order to boost sustainable reform. It
has eight objectives, including modernization
of the education system by 2013 increase of
education spending to 6% of GDP by 2013, de-
centralization of education finances, curriculum
and human resources, adoption of a ‘funding
follows the student ’ plan and a charter of rights
in education and an extension of the Lifelong
Education base to 2013.
• The Ministry of Education, Research and Youth
(MoERY), in close partnership with UNICEF, the
National Authority for Child Rights Protection
and the Ministry of Public Health, developed a
set of Early Learning and Development Stan-
dards (ELDS) to support monitoring and expan-
sion of Early Childhood programs. The MoERY
is currently developing a curriculum for early
education based on the ELDS.

Box 1. Quick Facts about Education in Romania

Romania SEE
Total Population 21.7 50.7
Youth unemployment rate as percentage of unemployment rate 261 x
Percentage of GDP spent on Education 3.60% 3.60%
Net Pre-Primary School Enrolment, 2005 (Gender Parity Index (GPI) (Girls/Boys)) 60 55
Net Enrolment in Primary School, 2005 (GPI) 93 92
Net Enrolment in Secondary School, 2005 (GPI) 80 (1.03) 82
Gross Enrolment in Tertiary Enrolment, 2005 (GPI) 45 (1.26) 35
Student/Teacher Ratio, 2005 17 17
Out of School Children (% girls) 34,000 (52) 80,000
Number of refugees and internally displaced persons of concern 2720 690,000
PISA Score (mathematics (regional rank/17), reading (‘’’’), science (‘’’’)) 415 (14), 396 (14), 418 (14) x

Source: UNESCO EFA Global Monitoring Report 2008. Innocenti.

Education in Romania Country Profile 1

 Figure 1. Net Education Enrolment Ratios in pecially with regard to girls.
Romania, Southeastern Europe and the • The MoERY, in close partnership with UNICEF
CEE/CIS Region and the National Authority for Child Rights Pro-
tection, is currently placing as a top priority the
development of a National Strategy on Parent-
93 92
ing and is developing a General Strategy for
90 90
Mainstreaming Children with Disabilities in the
83
Educational System.
82
80 Access
74
General access to education in Romania is rela-
70 tively high for the region, when looking at nation-
NER

ally aggregated data. Primary net enrolment rates

55
50
41
30
Primary Secondary Pre-Primary
CEE/CIS Regional Avg.
Southeastern Europe Avg.
Romania
Source: UNESCO EFA Global Monitoring Report 2008
• The government in partnership with UNICEF
carried out a national media campaign and tele-
thon to advocate for the rights of disabled chil-
dren and raise money for their benefit. In 2004,
the government extended compulsory school-
ing from eight to 10 years.
• Romania is a leading signatory of the Decade
for Roma Inclusion and has carried out a ‘Sta-
tistical Baseline for Monitoring Roma Inclusion’
in cooperation with the EUMAP. 5 The MoERY is
in the process of creating a more coherent and
unified vision for Roma inclusion strategies, es-
are 93%, which is on par with regional and sub-
regional averages and the secondary school NER
is just below these averages at 80%. Pre-school
net enrolment is the highest in the sub-region and
45 among the highest in the CEE/CIS region at 74%.
43 Tertiary enrolment is also above the regional and
sub-regional levels. See Figure 1. There are an es-
35 timated 34,000 out-of-school children in Romania. 6
Tertiary Equity
With high national enrolment figures, Romania’s
biggest challenge is in reducing sub-national in-
equities and extending access to education at all
levels to those who are currently excluded. This is
a major task because equity gaps are growing.
The equity gaps mirror those in other transition
countries. The urban-rural gap in educational ac-
cess and quality is increasingly prevalent in Roma-
nia’s education system, with children from remote
areas experiencing lower access to education,
especially pre-primary and secondary education.
Children with special needs and minority children,
especially Roma children, are more likely to be out
of school or receive poor quality education. Roma
children are less likely to enrol and complete edu-
cation at all levels. See Box 2.

Figure 2: Romania's Performance on the PISA 2006 Compared to Participating Countries in the CEE/CIS
Region
Czech Republic, 513
Czech Republic, 510

Russian Federation, 479

Russian Federation, 476
Slovak Republic, 492

Slovak Republic, 488

Czech Republic, 483

Slovak Republic, 466

Russian Federation, 440

Estonia, 531
Slovenia, 519
Estonia, 515
Slovenia, 504

Hungary, 504
Azerbaijan, 476

600
Poland, 508

Slovenia, 494

Lithuania, 488
Estonia, 501

Hungary, 491

Lithuania, 486

Poland, 498
Poland, 495

Croatia, 493
Hungary, 482

Lithuania, 470

Latvia, 490
Croatia, 477

Latvia, 486
Latvia, 479

Croatia, 467

550
Montenegro, 412
Turkey, 447

Bulgaria, 434
Montenegro, 399

Romania, 418
Romania, 415

Serbia, 436
Serbia, 435
Montenegro, 392

Bulgaria, 413
Turkey, 424

Turkey, 424

Azerbaijan, 382
Romania, 396
Bulgaria, 402

500
Serbia, 401

Azerbaijan, 353

450
Kyrgystan, 322
Kyrgystan, 311
Kyrgystan, 285

400

350

300

250

200
Reading Mathematics Science

Education in Romania Country Profile 2

 Figure 3. Distribution of Overall Science Achievem ent Figure 4. Distribution of Overall Mathem atics
on TIMSS over tim e 1999-2003, grade 8 Achievem ent on TIMSS Over tim e, 1999-2001, grade 8

560 550

Overall Average Scale Score

Overall Average Scale Score

520 500

450
480

400
440

Romania

FYR Macedonia
Russian Fed.
Estonia

Moldova
Hungary

Latvia

Lithuania
Slovenia

Armenia

Serbia

Bulgaria

Intl' Average
Slovak Republic
Romania

FYR Macedonia
Russian Fed.
Estonia

Moldova
Hungary

Slovenia

Lithuania

Latvia
Bulgaria

Intl' Average

Serbia

Armenia
Slovak Republic

1999
1999
2003
2003

As a result of new policy initiatives, DDD children
and ‘institutionalized children have been rapidly
mainstreamed in Romania. Boarding schools have
been transformed into ‘placement centres’ and
institutionalized children have been enrolled in
public schools. Yet this overnight transition has
left many children, teachers and families without
adequate support in classrooms and has actually
increased the dropout rate. Furthermore, ‘even if
some of these children could be brought back into
the system, it may by then be ‘too late’ for many;
for example, if a student is three or more years old-
er than his class peers he/she is regarded as ‘over-
age’ and referred to adult classes.’ While DDD
children’s traditional exclusion from education is
a violation of their rights, rapidly mainstreaming
them without adequate support is only a short-
term solution.
School Quality and Learning Outcomes
Proxy indicators of school quality show that edu-
cation quality in Romania leaves much to be im-
Figure 5. Distribution of Reading Achievem ent on PIRLS Assessm ent
Overtim e, 2001-2006
600
550
proved. Dropout rates are high in primary school
and higher still in secondary school. About 9.4% of
students drop out before grade five, the majority
of whom drop out after the first grade.7 Another
3% do not complete primary school. Infrastruc-
tural problems also plague Romania’s outdated
school buildings.
School violence is also becoming a formidable
threat to students’ safety in Romanian schools.
‘A number of incidental findings also indicate an
alarming trend of violence in schools, with per-
petrators being either teachers or other children.
Research findings indicate the presence of sexual
abuse and drugs in schools (11% of children).’8
As in other transition countries, education quality
is a major challenge facing policymakers, especial-
ly with increasing pressure to match the learning
standards of other EU countries. Romania has tak-
en part in three international learning assessments
– TIMSS, PISA and PIRLS. Their results show that
Romania lags behind the
majority of countries in
the region and falls in
the bottom quartile of all
countries participating in
the test.

On PISA 2006, Roma-

500 nia scored fourth to last
out of participating CEE/
450 CIS countries in reading,
mathematics and science.
In all three subjects, it
400
scored just ahead of Mon-
Russian Federation

Hungary

Bulgaria

Latvia

Lithuania

Slovak Republic

Slovenia

Poland

Moldova

Intl' Average

Romania

Georgia

Macedonia

Turkey

tenegro and Kyrgyzstan

(See Figure 2). It ranked
in the bottom quintile in
2001 all three subjects out of
2006 57 participating countries,

Education in Romania Country Profile 3

coming in 47th, 45th and 48 th in science, mathematics
and reading, respectively.
On TIMSS 2003, Romania’s performance in the re-
gion was similar. It ranked fourth to last in math-
ematics out of participating CEE/CIS countries.
However, it scored just below the international
average, ranking 27 th of 46 participating countries.
In mathematics, Romania’s performance declined
between 1999 and 2003. In science, Romania
ranked third to last in the CEE/CIS region, scoring
just ahead of Moldova and Macedonia. In science,
Romania placed just above the international av-
erage. Romania’s performance in science stayed
relatively stable over time, increasing slightly. See
Figure 3.
On PIRLS 2006, Romania scored third to last in the
CEE/CIS Region in 2006, after Turkey, Macedonia
and Georgia, and ranked in the bottom quintile out
of all 57 participating countries. Romania’s score
on the test declined significantly between 2001
and 2006, dropping by 24 points; this was the larg-
est decline in the region.
Results from all three tests show that Romania has
much work to be done to improve learning out-
comes so as to rival Central and Western Europe.
It seems that reading is an area of particular con-
cern.
Education Financing
In 2008, Romania allocated 6% of its GDP to educa-
tion or 10.6 billion USD. 9 This is an increase from
2005 when Romania spent only 3.5% on education.
Education Priorities in Romania
While many educational challenges remain for Ro-
mania, its priorities lie in the following initiatives:
• Improving education coverage for Roma chil-
dren at all levels of schooling.
• Decreasing dropouts at the secondary school
level, especially for Roma children.
• Enhancing the learning outcomes of its primary
and secondary school students.
• Raising education standards in Romania to
meet those laid out in the EU’s Lisbon Strategy.
1 UNICEF. 2005. Vulnerable, Excluded and Discriminat-
ed Children: A Focused Situational Analysis of Chil-
dren in Romania.
2 UNICEF. 2005. Vulnerable, Excluded and Discriminat-
ed Children: A Focused Situational Analysis of Chil-
dren in Romania.
3 No data is available for BiH, Serbia and Montenegro.
4 UNDP Human Development Index Web Site 2008.
5 Monitoring Education for Roma. 2006. Budapest:
OSI/EUMAP.
6 UNESCO. EFA Global Monitoring Report 2008.
7 MoERY and the Institute for Educational Sciences.
8 UNICEF Romania Web Site.
9 Minister of Fiannce.
UNICEF Pirozzi
Box 2. Roma Education in Romania
Romania has the largest Roma population in the
CEE/CIS region. Some estimates number up to
two million, which makes up about 10% of the
country’s total population. Roma enrolment and
completion rates are far below the national aver-
age for non-Roma children. In primary school,
only an estimated 40% of Roma children enrol
compared with the national average of 93%. Ad-
ditionally only about 30% of those who enrol,
complete primary school. By secondary school,
enrolment estimates drop to around 25%.
‘There are a number of social, economic, cultur-
al and systemic causes resulting in non-enrol-
ment, non-attendance and school drop-out rates
among Roma children. Poverty and discrimina-
tion are two of the most important barriers to
access for Roma children. Some child-related
causes include: precarious health conditions,
delays in psycho-intellectual development, gen-
der-based differences (according to which girls
get married early, and their social role is to raise
children and take care of the family) and poor
self image. The combination of these factors
leads to high dropout rates among Roma chil-
dren. Roma children who have dropped out re-
port having negative school experiences, which
serve to exacerbate dropout rates.
Low enrolment rates among the Roma are fur-
ther exacerbated by the poor quality of segre-
gated schools. When Roma are separated from
the main population in separate schools, they of-
ten receive a poorer quality education than oth-
ers. ‘‘Roma school buildings are older and more
overcrowded than other schools, and often lack
a library. Such schools also have fewer qualified
teachers and significantly higher teacher trans-
fer rates, especially in those with grades 1-4;
67% of Roma schools had a deficit of qualified
teachers, and among schools with 50% or more
Roma students, the deficit was over 80%.’
Source: The participation to education of
Roma children – problems, solutions and ac-
tors, 2002; UNICEF Romania home page.
Education in Romania Country Profile 4