The education system in Romania has been subject to a series of reforms -15 major changes to the education system have been implemented by 13 ministers in the course of 20 years. The education sector had to face a series of strikes and protests. The longest conflict took place in November 2005, when a general strike lasted for three weeks, and the teachers demanded higher salaries and work conditions.
In Romania, only 56.9% of the young people with ages between 15 and 24 years old are included in a form of education, percentage with which we rank under the European average of 59.7%, and under Hungary (64.5%), Poland (70.3%) or Czech Republic (61.6%).
The percentage of school drop-out in the elementary and secondary education system grew from 1.2% in school year 2001/2002, to 1.7% in school year 2008/2009. By residence environment, the school drop-out percentage was of 1.5% in the urban environment (constant value in the last years) and 1.9% in the rural environment, double value as compared to the one recorded 10 years before.
In absolute figures, in 2009, almost 30,000 children dropped out school on elementary and secondary education level, 19,000 dropped out high school, and 16,000 out vocational school.
With regards to the percentage of early drop-out, Romania ranks third in Europe, 16.6% of the population with ages between 18 and 24 years graduating at most the secondary school, much higher percentage than the one from other countries. We have made significant progresses in the last two years (the percentage was of 22.3% in 2000), but the target of 10% set by the European Commission is still unreachable.
A “Second Chance” Program has been recently organized and implemented in order to redress school drop out for people who are older that the legal school age for full-time education and have not completed compulsory education. This program started within the PHARE Program “Access to education for disadvantaged groups” (2001-2007) and was extended until now and at national level. The aims are to reduce phenomena related to non-participation in education and school drop-out and to facilitate access to education and the possibility of lifelong learning. The purpose of the program is to support young people and adults aged over 14 who have abandoned for social reasons compulsory education and help them to complete basic education and vocational training corresponding to 1/2 level of qualification. In the 2009/10 school year, the program was implemented in 267 schools, 290 classes – primary education for 3,527 learners and lower secondary education for 4,802 learners.
Regarding the duration of education attendance, the value of this indicator grew from 14.9 years in 2000, to 16.3 years currently, but in Poland, Hungary or Baltic countries, the average duration is close to 18 years.
Furthermore, although the number of students increased a lot after the Revolution of 1989, the percentage of those with higher education from the total population is among the lowest in Europe. Thus, in 2009, almost 12% of the population of at least 25 years old benefited from higher educated (8.3% in 2000), percentage clearly inferior to the European average - 22%. In the developed countries the percentage is more than 24%, exceeding even 30% in the Northern countries.
Figures show that in the last years progresses were made as for the increase of the percentage of inclusion in the education system, the fighting against the early school drop-out phenomenon, but at the same time these show that we are still far from the developed countries.
In Romania, only 56.9% of the young people with ages between 15 and 24 years old are included in a form of education, percentage with which we rank under the European average of 59.7%, and under Hungary (64.5%), Poland (70.3%) or Czech Republic (61.6%).
The percentage of school drop-out in the elementary and secondary education system grew from 1.2% in school year 2001/2002, to 1.7% in school year 2008/2009. By residence environment, the school drop-out percentage was of 1.5% in the urban environment (constant value in the last years) and 1.9% in the rural environment, double value as compared to the one recorded 10 years before.
In absolute figures, in 2009, almost 30,000 children dropped out school on elementary and secondary education level, 19,000 dropped out high school, and 16,000 out vocational school.
With regards to the percentage of early drop-out, Romania ranks third in Europe, 16.6% of the population with ages between 18 and 24 years graduating at most the secondary school, much higher percentage than the one from other countries. We have made significant progresses in the last two years (the percentage was of 22.3% in 2000), but the target of 10% set by the European Commission is still unreachable.
A “Second Chance” Program has been recently organized and implemented in order to redress school drop out for people who are older that the legal school age for full-time education and have not completed compulsory education. This program started within the PHARE Program “Access to education for disadvantaged groups” (2001-2007) and was extended until now and at national level. The aims are to reduce phenomena related to non-participation in education and school drop-out and to facilitate access to education and the possibility of lifelong learning. The purpose of the program is to support young people and adults aged over 14 who have abandoned for social reasons compulsory education and help them to complete basic education and vocational training corresponding to 1/2 level of qualification. In the 2009/10 school year, the program was implemented in 267 schools, 290 classes – primary education for 3,527 learners and lower secondary education for 4,802 learners.
Regarding the duration of education attendance, the value of this indicator grew from 14.9 years in 2000, to 16.3 years currently, but in Poland, Hungary or Baltic countries, the average duration is close to 18 years.
Furthermore, although the number of students increased a lot after the Revolution of 1989, the percentage of those with higher education from the total population is among the lowest in Europe. Thus, in 2009, almost 12% of the population of at least 25 years old benefited from higher educated (8.3% in 2000), percentage clearly inferior to the European average - 22%. In the developed countries the percentage is more than 24%, exceeding even 30% in the Northern countries.
Figures show that in the last years progresses were made as for the increase of the percentage of inclusion in the education system, the fighting against the early school drop-out phenomenon, but at the same time these show that we are still far from the developed countries.