Education in Romania is based on a free-tuition, egalitarian system. Access to free education is guaranteed by Article 32 in the Constitution of Romania. Education is regulated and enforced by the Ministry of National Education. Each step has its own form of organization and is subject to different laws and directives.
Kindergarten is optional under the age of five. Compulsory schooling usually starts at age 4, with the second year of kindergarten (grupa mijlocie), which is mandatory in order to enter primary school. Schooling is compulsory until the twelfth grade (which corresponds with the age of eighteen or nineteen). The school educational cycle ends in the twelfth grade, when students graduate the baccalaureate. Higher education is aligned onto the European Higher Education Area. In addition to the formal system of education, to which was recently added the equivalent private system, there is also a system of tutoring, semi-legal and informal.
Romania ranks 6th in the all-time medal count at the International Mathematical Olympiad with 316 total medals, dating back to 1959. Ciprian Manolescu managed to write a perfect paper (42 points) for gold medal more times than anybody else in the history of the competition, doing it all three times he participated in the IMO (1995, 1996, 1997). Romania has achieved the highest team score in the competition, after China and Russia, and right after the United States and Hungary. Romania also ranks 6th in the all-time medal count at the International Olympiad in Informatics with 107 total medals, dating back to 1989.
The Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI) finds that Romania is fulfilling only 65.1% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to education based on the country's level of income. HRMI breaks down the right to education by looking at the rights to both primary education and secondary education. While taking into consideration Romania's income level, the nation is achieving 48.5% of what should be possible based on its resources (income) for primary education and 81.6% for secondary education.
Overview Kindergarten (Pre-school) Age Grade Type 3–4 Grupa mică optional 4–5 Grupa mijlocie compulsory 5–6 Grupa mare compulsory Primary school (Primary School) Age Grade Type 6–7 Clasa pregătitoare compulsory 7–8 Clasa I compulsory 8–9 Clasa II compulsory 9–10 Clasa III compulsory 10–11 Clasa IV compulsory Gymnasium (Middle school) Age Grade Type 11–12 Clasa V compulsory 12–13 Clasa VI compulsory 13–14 Clasa VII compulsory 14–15 Clasa VIII compulsory Lyceum (Secondary School) Age Grade Type 15–16 Clasa IX compulsory 16–17 Clasa X compulsory 17–18 Clasa XI compulsory 18–19 Clasa XII compulsory
Education in Romania is compulsory for 15 years (from the second year of the kindergarten to the twelfth grade). With the exception of kindergarten (preschool) and tertiary education (university), the private sector has a very low presence in the Romanian education system. Education became compulsory in Romania in the 19th century, in 1864, under ruler Alexandru Ioan Cuza, when four years of primary school became free and compulsory for all children, regardless of social class and sex. Despite this, the law was not enforced, and mass illiteracy persisted well into the 20th century: in the 1930s, 43% of adults were illiterate.Matei Cazacu, România Interbelică, , p.46 The Romanian literacy campaigns started in 1948 largely eradicated illiteracy in the 1950s.
The education system of Romania resembles the French education system. During the communist era, it was influenced by the Soviet education system (especially in the 1950s), and it included political propaganda, as well as hours of compulsory physical work by school children (usually in agriculture).
As of April 2013, there were about 7,200 opened schools in Romania, a sharp drop from nearly 30,000 units in 1996. This is mainly because many schools were brought together in order to form bigger schools and eliminate paperwork. In the same year, 3.2 million students and preschoolers were enrolled in the educational system, 500,000 more than in 2012.
Compulsory education
Throughout the 20th century, compulsory education has oscillated between 4 years, 7 years, again 4 years, 7 years, 8 years, 10 years, and again 8 years. In the 21st century, it was raised to 10 years, then to 11 years, and then to 14 years. When the communists came into power in 1947, compulsory education was 7 years, but this was not enforced. Originally, the communist regime lowered compulsory education to 4 years, but with a strong enforcement. Next they increased it gradually to 7, 8 and ultimately 10 years. After the 1989 revolution, compulsory education was lowered again to 8 years. The new government cited as reasons the poor quality of education, high strain on the state budget, and inflation of diplomas. In 2003, compulsory education was raised again to 10 years, through Law nr. 268/2003, modifying Article 6 of Law nr. 84/1995.
During the 1990–2003 period, there was very little concern for education in Romania, and the generation who studied in this period is quite poorly trained, with illiteracy being higher than the previous generation, especially among the Roma population in rural areas. A new law come into force in 2011. This law came into force after years of political debate regarding not only the number of years in compulsory education, but also how they should be structured. The original form of the law, which would have moved the 9th grade to middle school, was never implemented.
With the adding of the preparatory school year as part of compulsory primary education in 2012, compulsory education consisted of 5 years of primary school, 4 of middle school/gymnasium and 2 of high school/vocation school. There were 2 more optional high school years. In 2020, the last year of kindergarten, as well as the last two years of high school were added to compulsory education, bringing compulsory education to a total of 14 years. The 2011 law was replaced by a new law in 2023, which added one more year of compulsory education, namely the middle form ("grupa mijlocie") of kindergarten.
Kindergarten
Kindergartens offer preschool education for children (usually between ages 3–6) and typically last for 3 forms – "small group" (grupa mică) for children aged 3–4, "middle group" (grupa mijlocie), for children aged 4–5, and "big group" (grupa mare) for children aged 5–6, with this last form becoming compulsory in 2020, and the middle form becoming compulsory in 2023.
The "preparatory school year" (clasa pregătitoare) is for children aged 6–7, and since it became compulsory in 2012, it usually takes place at school. The preparatory school year has been a requirement in order to enter the first grade since 2012, being part of the primary education stage, according to Article 23 of the Education law no 1/2011 (Legea Educației Naționale nr.1/2011) and currently according to Article 31 of the Law 198/2023.
During the transition period after the law of 2012 was enacted, transfers of teachers occurred in order to fill in the educational needs of this year.
Kindergarten services differ from one kindergarten to another, and from public (state) to private ones, and may include initiation in foreign languages (typically English, French or German), introduction in computer studies, dancing, swimming, etc. All kindergartens provide at least one meal or one snack, some having their own kitchens and their own cooks, others opting for dedicated catering services. Many kindergartens (especially the private ones) provide children with transportation to and from kindergarten. Groups typically have 1–2 teachers (educatori) and 10–15 children (typically more in state kindergartens).
Most public kindergartens in urban areas offer parents three types of programs, in order to better suit the parents' schedules – a short schedule (typically 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., with one snack or meal), a medium schedule (typically 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with one snack and one meal) and a long schedule (typically 8 a.m. to 5–6 p.m., with three snacks and one meal, and almost always including after lunch sleeping periods). In rural areas, most kindergartens only have a short schedule. Rural kindergartens also suffer from underfunding and neglect.
The private sector has a very large role in providing kindergarten and day care services, having a large proportion in the market share for preschool education. Typical tuition fees for private kindergarten range between 400 and 1,600 lei monthly, depending on the town/city where the institution is located and on the services offered, whereas for public kindergarten there is no tuition fee (some may, however, charge for meals and/or transportation). The private sector is quite expensive, catering to upper and upper-middle-class families.
The relative number of available places in kindergartens is small, many having waiting lists or requiring admission and formalities to be done at least six months in advance. The lack of available places is especially obvious in state-run kindergartens, that charge no tuition fees, especially given the relatively high tuition fees of private venues. Local councils, especially in larger cities (such as Bucharest or Sibiu), where both parents typically work, seeing an increase in demand, have begun investing in expanding existing kindergartens, building new ones or offering stipends for private kindergartens as to cover part of the tuition fees.
Elementary school Elementary school includes primary school (the preparatory school year and the next 4 grades of primary school) and then four more grades (grades 5–8 of gymnasium). Most elementary schools are public; the Ministry of Education's statistics show less than 2% of elementary school students attend private school. Unless parents choose a school earlier, the future student is automatically enrolled in the school nearest to his or her residence. Some schools that have a good reputation are flooded with demands from parents even two or three years in advance. A negative consequence of this is that in many schools classes are held in two shifts lasting from as early as 7 a.m. to as late as 8 p.m. Education is free in public schools (including some booksManualul este distribuit elevilor în mod gratuit, atât în format tipărit, cât și în format digital, și este transmisibil timp de patru ani școlari, începând din anul școlar <insert years here>.
(translation: The textbook is freely distributed to students, both in printed format and digital format, and is transmissible for four school years, starting from school year <insert years here>.)
(appears on the first page of every book)), but not entirely (some textbooks, notebooks, writing instruments, consumables and uniforms may be required to be purchased).
School starts in the beginning of September and ends in the middle or end of June the following year. It is divided into five periods called modules, each followed by a holiday:
Module 1, early September to late October. Fall holiday, late October to early November (one week). Module 2, early November to mid December. Winter holiday, mid December to early January (two weeks). Module 3, early January to February. Another winter holiday (ski holiday), one week sometime in February; depends on county. Module 4, February to April or May. Easter holiday, one to two weeks around Easter. Module 5, Late April or early May to mid June. Summer holiday, mid June to early September (around 3 months).
Additionally, each school decides when to organise the programmes Săptămâna altfel (Different Week) and Săptămâna Verde (Green Week).