On this page:

1. Forthcoming policy developments

2. Ongoing debates

Forthcoming policy developments

The need for a framework when it comes to the dual education system had been a widely debated subject in the last years. Starting with the school year 2017/2018 it is available the learning contract for dual education system that was approved by the Minister’s Order. The contract is concluded between the educational establishment, the economic partner of the practice and the student or his / her parent / guardian / legal representative established. Romania is now trying to revive its vocational education, to provide a genuine alternative to academic programmes and fill the gap created by the dissolution of the Arts and Crafts Schools. Since 2011, students have been able to follow a VET programme in the technological high schools, beginning in Grade 9, initially for two years and since 2013 for three years. These programmes provide specialised vocational education developed in close collaboration with the business sector to offer an alternative to highschool through dual education.

Other current developments include:

• a large scale project of training teachers to use new teaching methods;
• continuing reforming the curriculum for all grades and reforming textbooks;
• simplification of the administrative tasks of schools and teachers.

Ongoing debates 

Once the report on Educated Romania was completed, the Ministry of Education drafted two education laws, namely School Education Law 198/2023 and Higher Education Law 199/2023, which were promulgated by the President of Romania, after an extensive consultation process, in July 2023 and take effect as from the 2023/2024 school and academic year.

These two new laws propose coherent solutions in accordance with the requirements of the beneficiaries of education, ensuring the unitary and systematic regulation of this area, so as to respond to the issues and challenges that have been identified – by the country reports and the country-specific recommendations too – in the national education and training system.

These education laws respond to the country-specific recommendations with measures designed to improve the quality of education, ensure equal access to education, especially for vulnerable groups and categories of beneficiaries, as well as to develop, assess and recognise key competences and professional competences which are necessary in the labour market.

Several principles have been taken into consideration in the development of these laws, such as coherence, predictability, performance and equity.

The reforms that have been promoted make sure that all children, irrespective of their background or particularities, have access to education, so that students can see school as the environment which helps them grow and where they are encouraged.

In this context, the programmes to be developed or continued by the new education laws will play an important part.

Therefore, for school education, there are programmes like:

• the second chance programmes
• the afterschool programme School after School
• remedial learning
• school at hospital
• the integrated national programme for reducing school dropout.
• the national programme Healthy Meal
• the national programme A book for everyone
• the national programme on cultural vouchers for students
• the national plan for safety in school education
• the establishment of a national student card.

For higher education, the new law promotes programmes concerned with:

• reducing university dropout
• services and activities for lifelong career counselling and guidance
• support for the study of science, engineering and mathematics
• the internationalisation of universities
• scholarships for excellence and for Romanian students from all over the world.

In 2024-2025 the most important debate in the field of education is the reform of the curriculum for highschool level education.