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Education in Romania
Do Romanian schools produce idiots?
Aug 7th 2012, 9:20 by L.C. | Bucharest
ONE in two teenagers failed the Baccalaureate exam in Romania this
year after 12 years of study. This means that another more than one
hundred thousand young people could end up unemployed, hurting the
country s already fragile economy.
Those who pass the Baccalaureate exam have two options: leave the
country for one of the first-class universities in the western world (if
they can afford it) or stay in Romania and face a poor education
system.
Many of these thousands of smart youngsters who emigrate for better
education remain abroad after graduation, get a job and live as
immigrants for the rest of their lives. The brain drain phenomenon has
been developing in Romania especially since the country joined the
European Union. University fees were significantly reduced for
Romanian students and work permits could be obtained more easily.
Emigrants who return to Romania after graduation and get a job are
usually overqualified compared to other entry-level colleagues. Their
income is lower than what they expected. Some of them eventually
return to the west.
Paradoxically, Romania is also the country where some of the most
brilliant young brains in the world are born. Here the rate of gifted
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children (http://www.giftededu.org/resources/brochure-gifted-edu-
center_en.pdf) is twice the average worldwide. In July, the country was
ranked first in Europe at the International Math Olympics and 10th
among 100 countries worldwide. Some of the most feared hackers in
the world are operating in Romania. Corporations like Microsoft have a
big community of Romanians among their workforce and they keep
recruiting more.
Most of these achievements seem to be the result of the hard work of
individuals combined sometimes with the influence of a great teacher
rather than the result of a proficient education system. Not one of
Romania's universities are ranked among the top 500.
After the collapse of communism, Romania faced an education crisis
that it has not tackled yet. Since 1989, the minister of education has
been changed 19 times. Each of these ministers argued vehemently for
reform, but their different visions only created confusion. One of the
reasons for their failure is that education in Romania has never been
properly financed. Its budget has been dropping to just 3.6% of GDP
this year, while the average European rate is 5% of GDP.
Corruption also invaded the education system, as bribes became
promotion tools for many students. Poverty is another scourge: the
number of children who dropped out school tripled between 2000 and
2007 according to UNICEF. The financial crisis in 2008 made this
worse. Budget cuts shut down schools in rural areas, making it hard for
children living in isolated villages to reach school. Earning less than
Ź 400 monthly, many highly ranked teachers left the system and were
often replaced by under-qualified beginners.
While the state-funded system is facing financial problems, some
private universities in Romania are making a huge profit. Also known
as  diploma factories , these institutions are enrolling a large number
of students each year. The quality of education in these private
establishments is usually even lower than in the state system. Many of
their graduates end up unemployed.
So when it comes to education, what can the young Romanian
generation hope for? Not much, it seems. The current prime minister
was found guilty of plagiarising his PhD thesis and the country s
suspended president once said that  the Romanian school produces
idiots .
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