Daniel David: Functional Illiteracy is the Most Serious Threat to Romanian Education

The Minister of Education and Research, Daniel David, is sounding the alarm regarding the alarming level of functional illiteracy in Romania, which he considers the greatest threat to Romanian society.

• 40% of students - unable to understand what they read

In a statement given on the occasion of the inauguration of the 23rd faculty of Babeş-Bolyai University - the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences - the minister emphasized that:

"The very large area of functional illiteracy reaches around 40%. This predisposes us to conspiracy theories, to manipulation, and people end up believing bizarre things.”

The consequences are obvious and serious: the spread of misinformation, the decline in trust in science and institutions, and the proliferation of dangerous ideas such as curing cancer with plants or the flat Earth theory.

Functional illiteracy does not mean the inability to read or write, but the inability to understand and use information in a concrete context. Basically, students can read a text, but they do not understand what they read, they cannot interpret graphics, instructions or argumentative texts. Daniel David warns that this lack of critical thinking favors the rise of extremist voices: "Education is to blame here, given that it fails to control this functional illiteracy (...), and the voice of the most aggressive begins to matter more than the voice of the informed.”

• The real situation could be even worse

The minister warns that the available data is incomplete: "We are talking about high percentages only measuring those who are in school. But almost 18% of children between 3 and 18 years old do not attend classes at all.” This means that the real percentage of the young population in the area of functional illiteracy could be significantly higher, which would further accentuate the social and economic problems in Romania.

• What solutions are possible?

Although the minister did not detail concrete measures in his statement on Thursday, his statements suggest several clear directions for action: Combating school dropout through support policies for vulnerable families; Reforming the school curriculum to emphasize understanding texts and critical thinking; Training teachers in modern teaching methods focused on real skills, not just memorization; National civic and scientific education campaigns to combat disinformation and conspiracy theories.

Minister Daniel David's statements reveal a worrying reality: Romania is facing a serious and often ignored phenomenon - functional illiteracy. And without urgent and effective measures, the risk is that this "pseudo-knowledge" will undermine not only the quality of education, but even the democratic foundations of Romanian society.