Daniel David Proposes a "Pact for the Decade of Education and Research”

The Minister of Education and Research, Daniel David, launched a public appeal for the assumption of a "Pact for the Decade of Education and Research” (2026-2036), to be supported by all political forces in Romania. The declaration was made on the occasion of International Teachers' Day. The minister emphasized that the country is going through "a difficult year for education and for Romanian society as a whole”, considering that 2025 is "the most dangerous year for Romania after the 1989 Revolution”, against the backdrop of economic and political crises and the war on the border. "I know that in many places, budgetary pressure, changes in the system and the need for continuous adaptation seem to overshadow the deep meaning of our work. But it is also in such moments that the true strength of education is seen: the power to transform crisis into progress and uncertainty into meaning”, Daniel David said.

• A political pact for budgetary stability and growth

The document proposed by the minister would establish three major commitments: Every year, starting with 2026, the budget for education and research will increase compared to the previous year, both in nominal terms and as a share of GDP; Education and research will remain under the same national authority, to ensure coherence and knowledge-based development; Major measures adopted in these areas must be aligned with the practices of the European Union and the OECD, and any deviations will be publicly justified.

Daniel David explained that he accepted the fiscal-budgetary measures recently applied in the field of education and research only to protect salaries and scholarships, assuring that there will be no salary cuts or layoffs. In the medium term, the minister aims to introduce a decent salary for teaching staff, starting from the average gross salary in the economy for a novice professor or university assistant. At the same time, he reaffirmed the objectives of allocating 15% of the general consolidated budget for education and 1% of GDP for research, by 2030.

• "Let us not become a failed civilization”

In his message, Daniel David warned of the risks of perpetuating an outdated educational system, which produces alarming levels of functional illiteracy.

"My concern is that educated people will be well off in a new educational system, not in the current one, which generates levels of functional illiteracy that paralyze our country and which must be reformed paradigmatically so as not to become a failed civilization under obscurantism and a technological/scientific colony," the minister emphasized.